Once considered the draft’s top prospect, the former Missouri forward slipped to No. 14 and went to the Denver Nuggets Thursday in New York City. The Nuggets chose the 6-10 forward with the final lottery pick in the first round.
Porter is the seventh-highest NBA draft pick from Mizzou and the first first-round selection since DeMarre Carroll in 2009.
Reports surfaced shortly before the draft that Porter’s stock was starting to plummet. Earlier in the day, his father, Michael Porter Jr. said teams were “skittish” about the back injury that required surgery in November but his latest MRI was “fairly clear.