Why basketball scouts believe Wichita State’s Craig Porter has ‘a legit chance’ at NBA
Before he ever talked to an NBA scout, Craig Porter Jr. believed he had the abilities to fulfill his dream of reaching the NBA.
After playing the last three days in front of professional basketball scouts at the NTX Combine in the suburbs of Dallas, the list of believers is growing by the day in the former Wichita State point guard’s chances.
The combine, created two years ago with the help of former NBA scout Pete Mickael, provides exposure for collegiate prospects trying to grab the attention of an NBA team and potentially earn an opportunity, whether it’s an invitation to play in Summer League or with their affiliated G-League team.
Porter has done just that, according to Mickael, an opinion shared by three NBA teams — the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers — that have scheduled to watch Porter’s workouts this month because of his play this week.
“I was speaking to a coach who spent 27 years in the NBA and he was talking about how Craig is really special defensively,” Mickael said. “When you get to the NBA, you’re going to have to play a different role and do other things to impact the game of basketball and play winning basketball. Craig has those characteristics in his game. He is able to make a really big imprint on a basketball game without scoring. He’s that special on defense.”
Porter earned a reputation for being able to stuff the stat sheet this past season with the Shockers, averaging 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks. His block rate of 5% was the best in the country for players his size (6-foot-2) and under and he notched just the second triple-double in the last 50 years of the program.
In his first game at the NTX Combine, Porter once again displayed his versatility by finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks.
Mickael said he knew Porter would be a good defender based on his statistics, but he has been impressed by his defensive instincts. The way Porter is able to read the game on the defensive end was considered to be an elite skill by scouts in attendance. Mickael said Porter has been consistently rated as the best or the second-best player in attendance.
“I tell all of the players who come through here that they should try to be special at least one thing,” Mickael said. “I think Craig can be really special defensively as a point guard, I really do. What I’ve seen in person and what the scouts are telling me is that he’s a high-level guard who people are really going to give a good opportunity to. He’s going to have a real chance at the league and that’s all you can really ask for is a legit chance. He’s opened a lot of doors for him and his future this week.”
The strong performance at the NTX Combine comes on the heels of Porter’s standout play at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, where he tied the 70-year-old tournament’s record for steals with 10 in three games last month.
After finishing up in Texas, Porter flew to Tampa, Fla., where he has set up headquarters for his pre-draft training with agent Ryan Straining. He will work out with strength and conditioning coaches from House of Athlete, then work with skills trainers Marcell Scott and Darryl Hepburn for all on-court training.
Porter will continue to train and work out in front of different NBA teams throughout May. If he goes undrafted in the NBA Draft on June 22, Porter could follow the path former Shocker Tyson Etienne took this past year. Etienne went undrafted, but immediately signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Atlanta Hawks, which essentially guaranteed him a roster spot on their G League affiliate.
While the G League would keep Porter in close proximity to his NBA dream, his skill set would likely earn him substantially more money in his rookie year as a pro overseas.
Mickael said that will be a good problem to have if Porter ends up having to make that kind of decision. Before Porter departed, the former NBA draft pick left him some advice on what to work on to reach the next level.
“I always tell guys that going from the college game to the NBA is super fast,” Mickael said. “A lot of the things to work on is the speed of the game. You have to understand how fast it is in the NBA and guys are going to be slapping and getting away with more contact at that level. So I think just getting stronger, playing physical and improving his jump shot are the things I told him to focus on.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
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