Nuggets’ first-round draft pick Michael Porter Jr. underwent a second back surgery last week, a league source confirmed to The Denver Post Wednesday evening.
Porter’s health caused his draft-night slide to Denver at No. 14 overall. The former No. 1 high school prospect missed all but three games of his only season at Missouri following his first back surgery to repair two herniated disks. He also rescheduled a multi-team workout in Chicago prior to the draft because of hip spasms he said were unrelated to the back injury.
But Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said the potential reward with Porter, should he return to form, outweighed the risk of selecting him at the end of the draft lottery.