NBA Combine: Porter Jr. feels he's best player; Jackson Jr. recounts Hoiberg pillow fight
If Michael Porter Jr.'s self-assessment is correct, he won't be available when the Chicago Bulls pick at No. 7 in the June 21 NBA Draft.
"I've played against all these guys," Porter said Thursday at the NBA Combine in Chicago. "They're all great players, but I'm the best player in this draft. I just can't wait to show what I'm capable of."
One part of Porter's reasoning is he's even better than before after having back surgery last fall. The surgery forced him to miss most of his only college season at Missouri, but he's also feeling 100 percent healthy for the first time in a few years.
"I hurt my back sophomore year in high school going up for a dunk, a guy kind of undercut me, fell on my back," Porter said. "I tried to play the next day, I should have just rested. It just got worse and worse. When I had to have the surgery, I kind of viewed it as a blessing, like a new start. I could reach my full potential.
"They had me the No. 1 player in high school, but I didn't even feel like I was 100 percent, and I do now. So I'm just excited to show everybody the player I am and I'm still the best player."
Porter has been living in Chicago for the past couple of months after landing with local agent Mark Bartelstein's Priority Sports and called it a "dope city."
But playing for the Bulls may be a longshot. He'd slide right into the Bulls' lineup as a versatile, 6-foot-10 small forward, but availability at No. 7 is an issue.
"I feel like I'd fit in great with those guys," Porter said of the Bulls. "They've got a great core, a lot of young guys, athletic guys and they're kind of looking for a small-forward position, so I feel like I would fit in great.
"I don't need to go No. 1. I don't have the ego that I makes me want to go No. 1. I just want to get in the right situation for me. … I think once I work out, I think I'll be in that conversation."
Porter was one of a few dozen draft prospects who met with reporters at Quest Multisports on the West Side. Among those who chose not to talk were Villanova forward Mikal Bridges, Duke power forward Marvin Bagley III and Stevenson High School grad Jalen Brunson.
Michigan State power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. seemed to relish the chance to talk about the draft. His road roommate last season was freshman walk-on Jack Hoiberg, the former Hinsdale Central star and son of Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg.
"That's my guy. I love Jack," Jackson said. "I probably became more of a Bulls fan messing around with Jack."
There's got to be more to the relationship than that. How about a Jack Hoiberg story?
"We were roommates on the road, so I remember when it was time to wake up, I wasn't a morning person, so he threw a pillow at me," Jackson said. "He threw a pillow at me and he hit me and I was like, 'OK.' And it was kind of hard, because Jack's not weak. So Jack threw it kind of hard.
"I didn't really wake up on that, and then I opened my eyes and I saw him throw the next one and I caught it. I was just ready. I wasn't even laughing, I was mad. I walked to the bathroom, I was like, 'Don't hit me.' "
If Jackson ends up playing for the Bulls, maybe Jack or one of the other Hoiberg kids can be in charge of wake-up calls.
Another well-spoken draft prospect is Texas center Mo Bamba, who promised to be one of the league's best rim protectors right away. Asked about playing for the Bulls, Bamba already had a scenario in mind.
"Yeah, I could really see myself with them," said the 7-foot New York City native. "Lauri (Markkanen), he's a really good 3-point shooter. He stretches the floor, which gives me a lot of room to operate in the mid-post and low-post area.
"Obviously I have to do my diligence to get stronger and get better in those areas, but I think we'd play well together."
• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls.