Nuggets scoop up ultimate boom or bust prospect with 14th pick

Michael Porter Jr. fell and fell and then fell some more at Thursday’s NBA draft. The talented scoring forward, who was rated as one of the top high school prospects in the class of 2017, watched 13 players go before him in the lottery. Back surgery limited Porter Jr. to a grand total of 53 minutes during his lone season at Missouri.

The Nuggets, who held the last lottery spot after narrowly missing on the playoffs for a fourth straight year, watched that slide and scooped Porter Jr. up with the 14th pick. In doing so, they selected perhaps the most high-risk, high-reward player in the draft.

Porter Jr. was considered a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick prior to the 2017-18 season. He was Rivals’ No. 1 overall player and ESPN’s No. 2 player behind Marvin Bagley Jr. coming out of high school. But then in November, Porter Jr. had surgery to repair the L3 and L4 discs in his back. He returned at the end of Missouri’s season for two games — one against Georgia in the SEC Tournament and one against Florida State in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64.

The 6-foot-10 forward said on ESPN’s telecast that he expects to play during NBA Summer League next month.

“I’m gonna make sure this pick is the best pick this organization has ever made.” Porter said, adding that he had “no concerns” about his back.

Denver needed wing depth with Wilson Chandler still deciding on a one-year player option and Will Barton set to enter free agency. Porter — the ultimate boom-or-bust option — provides that.