Michael Porter Jr. Cleared for Physical Evaluation After Suffering Hip Injury

Michael Porter Jr., a potential top-10 pick in next Thursday's NBA draft, has been cleared for a medical evaluation on Friday in Chicago, according to Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania. 

Specifically, Charania reported teams will travel to the Windy City for Friday's workout with the understanding that it is a "medical/physical evaluation."

ESPN.com's Jonathan Givony reported earlier Thursday that Porter "was scheduled to hold a workout for teams Friday in the city, but canceled it because of a strained hip." 

Porter's camp released a statement Thursday on his injury, per Givony: "Porter will be evaluated again tonight, and if the doctor feels Michael is moving well enough to go through the medical evaluation tomorrow, then we are going to proceed with the evaluation at 3 p.m. CST tomorrow."

Porter enters the draft as one of the lottery's biggest question marks. He was considered a top prospect heading into the 2017-18 season, but a back injury limited him to two games for Missouri.

Questions persisted after the season as well, as teams were unsure of "his ability to be a good teammate at Missouri," per Givony.

Basketball writer Jeff Goodman weighed in on those question marks:

Nonetheless, Porter could go off the board as high as No. 2 to the Sacramento Kings, per Sam Amick of USA Today:

"There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with him right now," an NBA executive told Givony. "But a conservative doctor could still [be concerned about] what might happen down the road."

Another executive added: "Everyone is worried about missing out on a star. No one wants to miss out on another Joel Embiid."

Porter appears to have star potential, or at least he did before his injury. In his latest mock draft, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected him going off the board at No. 7 to the Chicago Bulls, writing: "Before the season and surgery, many scouts had considered him the No. 1 overall favorite. As a 6'10 ¾" combo forward, Porter is a mismatch for his combination of size and perimeter skills in terms of shot-making off the catch or the dribble."

His second pro day will represent an opportunity for teams to assuage concerns and gain more intel as time continues to dwindle before the draft.