Michael Porter Jr., the former second-ranked recruit in his high school class and at one time a candidate for the top overall selection in this year’s draft, slid and slid and then slid some more Thursday night, until the Nuggets picked the forward 14th overall.

“Coming into this process we would’ve never thought Michael would have been there at this point in the draft,” Nuggets assistant general manager Calvin Booth said. “To come up with him is just unbelievable.”

Draft Grade: A

Porter suffered a back injury in November which required surgery, and the uncertainty around his medical outlook clouded his outlook throughout the pre-draft process. The 19-year-old only appeared in three games for Missouri, shooting 9-for-29 from the field.

Porter had surgery on his L3 and L4 spinal disks and was cleared to play in March but wasn’t himself from an athletic standpoint. He said Thursday night that he plans to play in the Las Vegas Summer League in July, but that’s yet to be determined. Porter held a pro day in Chicago in the lead up to the draft that was attended by NBA personnel. Nuggets scouts were in attendance.

“I think Michael is feeling good,” Booth said. “Obviously, his back has to be monitored but once we get him here and have our training staff, we’ll assess and come up with a plan of action and follow through with that plan.”

When healthy, Porter was a gifted scorer. He possesses a rare combination of size and skill that lines up with the current direction of the NBA. Porter can attack off the dribble and has a smooth jumper. Here are some highlights from a December 2016 between Porter’s then-high school team Nathan Hale and Marvin Bagley’s former high school team Sierra Canyon.

“You are looking at a guy who is a multi-positional player that is a terrific shooter, top-notch athlete,” Booth added. “At every stage in high school, he was at the top of his class and before he got injured at Missouri, he was probably on track to be their leading scorer.”

Porter averaged 17.3 points across three Adidas Nations games in 2017. He averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in five games at the U18 American Championships in 2016.

At the NBA level, Porter profiles as a combo forward who will play both the three and the four. With the Nuggets, he can pair with Nikola Jokic or Paul Millsap at power forward in small ball lineups or play at the three alongside both of Denver’s bigs in more of a traditional look.

Did the Nuggets find their long-term answer on the wing? If he stays healthy, Denver might have the steal of the draft.