Michael Porter Jr. is 19 years old and burdened with a level of fame that he has not yet had the chance to earn, and which can only hurt his life's pursuit. So in matters of optics and expectation management he deserves every benefit of the doubt possible which is why the following sentence is written this way:
The adults around him aren't helping.
Porter Jr. was the most talented basketball player in the building when Mizzou beat Arkansas 77-67 at Mizzou Arena on Saturday, but for the 30th time this season, and third since he was medically cleared, he did not play.