A Look Into – Jontay Porter
I missed the last chance to watch Jontay live because it was broadcast on ESPN and I’m too poor to afford ESPN for college and G League action. But I’ve been watching the Memphis Hustle Condense Games on NBA G League’s YT Channel. The skill and instincts are definitely there. The only thing is athleticism. And Jontay knows this too.
Recovery
Everyone who has read about ACL injuries know that not just athletes, but regular humans like you and me can get an ACL surgery today and feel even better once the recovery time has passed. I’m sure Jontay felt like this too when he was the 5th ranked prospect in the 2019 NBA Draft 2 years ago. Did you know if he had come out of college with his brother, he would have been ranked around pick 7 with Wendell Carter Jr and Mo Bamba? He stayed at Mizzou for 1 more year to improve his draft stock and everything that could of gone wrong did go wrong.
2 Years Later…
It’s the 2nd season since Jontay re-tore his ACL. This time around, he knows to be patient. He’s going to be less athletic than the other centers in the G League at least for another year before he can really ramp up his workouts and get bigger. I don’t think it’s an issue for Jontay though. He’s really skilled. He can still hang with G League centers. It just sucks because he’s on a 20 minutes restriction, and he can only play about 2 games a week.
On the Court
He knows where he needs to be on the court on defense and he has no problems rebounding. He’s shooting great. He has sweet touch just like his brother Michael Porter Jr. He operates really well in the post and he can hit the open shooters and cutters. He’s essentially the Al Horford of G League, but on a minutes restriction. He still has to wear the knee cast too.
