Martin believes attending draft benefitted Jontay Porter
Michael Porter Jr.’s fall to the end of the lottery quickly became the story of Thursday’s NBA Draft. While the former Missouri forward has already vowed to remember the 90-minute wait that preceded his being selected by the Denver Nuggets and use it as motivation for his NBA career, Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said Michael was not the only Porter in attendance who will be impacted by the event.
Speaking with reporters Friday, Martin said Jontay Porter will benefit from having been present at the Barclays Center Thursday. Martin said players and scouts in attendance frequently discussed traits like work ethic, defensive intensity and love for the game. Martin believes hearing those values, which he seeks to instill in his players, from someone else allowed Jontay to better soak them in.
“Everybody talks about playing hard, playing defense, playing as a team, and you heard that throughout the night,” Martin said. “I thought it was great for him to witness that and to grow into that and to understand and say, ‘Yeah coach, you’re right.’”
Not only was Jontay alongside his older brother on Thursday, he too declared for the NBA Draft this offseason and went through the pre-draft process before ultimately deciding to return to school for his sophomore season. Martin said that experience — working out with other future pros and dedicating more time to basketball — has positively impacted Jontay’s game as well.
“I think really going with (former West Virginia guard) Jevon Carter, a guy who works extremely hard, and even Mike works on his game twice a day, sometimes three times a day … you can see the growth in Jontay’s game as of right now with all the work he’s put in,” Martin said. “That just kind of confirmed it for him last night, what it takes to be successful.”
Addressing the growth of Jontay’s game more specifically, Martin said the 6-foot-11 forward has gotten stronger since last season, and his offensive skillset has evolved. Martin expects Jontay to contribute in a variety of ways next season. Not only did Martin say he wants Jontay to attempt “15 to 20 shots a game,” he also envisions the 6-foot-11 center bringing the ball up the floor from time to time.
“Depending on who’s defending him, we’ll have him bring the ball up and initiate our offense from there and have other guys moving,” Martin said. “… With just his growth in the workouts right now, his ability to make moves off the dribble and be efficient off the dribble and making passes, and really shooting the ball, he’s playing at a high level right now.”
Porter Jr. ‘changed the trajectory of our program’
After committing to Missouri, Michael Porter Jr. spoke on multiple occasions about leaving a legacy at his hometown school. As he enters the NBA, that legacy is, on paper, likely not what he had hoped for. Michael underwent back surgery in November, and as a result he played just 53 minutes, scoring 30 points, across three games.
But Martin said Friday that Michael's contributions extended far beyond his impact on the floor. The attention Michael brought to the program in Martin’s first year helped it recover from winning 27 games across the previous three seasons combined. Martin said Michael “changed the trajectory of our program” just by committing to Missouri.
“I think we were probably one of the most talked about college programs in America,” Martin said. “The branding, the marketing, he did a lot of that just by saying ‘I’m going to Mizzou,’ and that really helped us out a lot, just the perception of our program all around the country now with high school prospects.”
Martin high on Barnett’s future
Michael was the only Missouri player drafted Thursday, but a few hours after the selections concluded, Jordan Barnett also signed a deal with an NBA team. Barnett will compete in the NBA Summer League as well as training camp with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Martin said the fact that Barnett was not drafted could have proven advantageous, as he and his agent were then able to pick his landing spot from whichever teams were interested. Martin called Milwaukee “the best situation (for Barnett) to make the team.” Not only is Martin confident Barnett will make an NBA roster, he predicted Barnett has a lengthy professional career in front of him.
“You hear a lot of guys say ‘three-and-D’ in the NBA, I think he’s one of those guys,” Martin said. “… I think he’s a guy who can play in the NBA for 10 years because of his athleticism, his ability to make shots.”
Former Tiger guard Kassius Robertson is also seeking to play in summer league, Martin said, but as of Saturday morning, he had not found a team with which to do so.