Once the country’s top-rated basketball player in his recruiting class, Porter led fans on a nonstop mystery tour through his only season at Mizzou.
First came back surgery, then three months of suspense, ignited by pregame shootarounds and periodic Instagram posts to nourish the speculation that his return was imminent. It finally came in the Tigers’ short and sloppy postseason, shortly after which the 6-foot-10 Porter signed with an agent and entered the NBA draft.
The build-up to Thursday’s draft at Barclays Center in New York (6 p.