It was supposed to be the season that changed everything for Mizzou. Honestly, if you were in Columbia during the spring of 2017, the energy was electric. People weren't just hopeful; they were certain that Michael Porter Jr. was the savior. He was the local kid who went to Seattle, became the number one recruit in the country, and then decided to come home.
But the Michael Porter Jr. Missouri era ended almost as soon as it started.
Two minutes. That’s basically all the "full strength" MPJ the Tigers got. He started the season opener against Iowa State, grabbed a couple of rebounds, made a layup, and then... he was gone. He walked toward the bench with what the team initially called a "hip" or "leg" issue. It turned out to be so much more than that. It was the start of a medical saga that would follow him all the way to a trade to the Brooklyn Nets in 2025.
The Homecoming That Shook the SEC
Before the injury, the hype was justifiable. Michael Porter Jr. wasn't just another five-star recruit; he was a 6-foot-10 scoring machine with a jumper that looked like it belonged in the NBA already. He had just come off a senior season at Nathan Hale High School where he averaged 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds.
The way he ended up at Missouri was a whirlwind. He originally committed to Washington to play for Lorenzo Romar. When Washington fired Romar, the dominoes fell fast. Missouri hired Cuonzo Martin, who then hired Michael Porter Sr. as an assistant. Suddenly, the "package deal" was heading to Mid-Missouri.
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It wasn't just Michael, either. His brother, Jontay Porter, reclassified to join him. Mizzou went from an 8-24 team the year before to having the #4 recruiting class in the nation. Season tickets sold out. The "Soda Town" vibe was back.
Two Minutes and a Lifetime of Back Pain
When Porter Jr. left that Iowa State game, nobody thought it was the end. But the silence from the training staff grew loud. Eventually, the news broke: Michael Porter Jr. needed a microdiscectomy of his L3 and L4 spinal disks.
He was essentially out for the season.
The "what ifs" from that 2017-18 season still haunt Mizzou fans. Without him, Cuonzo Martin somehow dragged that team to the NCAA Tournament. They were tough, defensive-minded, and scrappy. But they lacked that elite "go-get-a-bucket" star.
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The Postseason Cameo
MPJ actually did return for two games in March. He wasn't the same.
- The SEC Tournament: He played 23 minutes against Georgia, scoring 12 points but shooting a rough 5-of-17.
- The NCAA Tournament: Against Florida State, he logged 28 minutes and put up 16 points and 10 rebounds.
He looked stiff. His vertical wasn't there. He was playing on a back that had been sliced open only four months prior. Missouri lost both games. It was a bittersweet ending to the most anticipated freshman season in the history of the program.
Why the Michael Porter Jr. Missouri Legacy is Complicated
You’ve got two camps of fans in Columbia. One camp feels cheated. They feel like they bought into the hype and got a season of bench-warming and mystery. The other camp credits him with "restarting" the program.
Before MPJ, Mizzou Arena was a library. After him, even with the injury, the standard for recruiting changed. He made Missouri a "hat on the table" for five-star kids again.
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What We Learned Later
It's kinda wild looking back at his NBA journey—multiple surgeries and eventually a championship with Denver—knowing that it all trace back to those few months in Columbia. Porter later revealed on podcasts that he had been dealing with back issues since he was 15. The "tweaked hip" at Mizzou was just the final straw for a degenerative condition that was already there.
He didn't "fake" it. His body genuinely betrayed him at the worst possible moment for the Tigers.
Realities of the MPJ Era
If you're looking for the cold, hard numbers, his college career is a blink:
- Games Played: 3
- Total Points: 30
- Total Rebounds: 20
- FG%: 33.3%
Those aren't the stats of a legend, but the Michael Porter Jr. Missouri story isn't about stats. It's about the "what could have been." If he stays healthy, that 2018 team is easily a Sweet 16 or Elite Eight contender. Instead, they are a footnote in a career that eventually saw him become one of the best shooters in the world.
Actionable Insights for Mizzou Fans & Collectors:
- The "What If" Memorabilia: If you still have those #13 Missouri jerseys from the 2017 season, hold onto them. Because he played so few games, authentic Mizzou-branded MPJ gear is actually rarer than his Denver Nuggets rookie cards.
- Recruiting Context: When looking at current Mizzou recruits, compare their "gravity"—the way they attract other players—to the Porter era. He proved that one big name can flip a roster overnight, even if that name never stays on the floor.
- Medical Perspective: If you're an athlete dealing with "hip" pain that won't go away, get your lower back checked. Porter’s "hip" issue was actually nerve pain from his L3-L4 discs, a common misdiagnosis in young athletes.