5 things to know about high-profile Mizzou NBA Draft prospect Michael Porter Jr.

One of the biggest storylines heading into Thursday's NBA Draft is how high the former highly-touted Mizzou player Michael Porter Jr. goes in the draft.

Porter — who played one year for the Tigers — before the season was considered to be a candidate for the top pick in the NBA Draft. Multiple injuries have put that in question, but he's still considered to be one of the top picks in the draft.

Recent mock drafts by major publications still have Porter going in the top five. Porter has received an invite to the green room at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, for Thursday's draft, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

MOCK DRAFT 3.0: Michael Porter Jr. vaults up board; Cavs nab Trae Young

The NBA Draft begins Thursday at 6 p.m. live on ESPN.

Here are five things you need to know about Porter:

Standout prospects at the 2018 NBA draft combine SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Scott Gleeson fills you in on which prospects are impressing at the NBA draft combine in Chicago.

1. His rise to stardom

Porter was considered to be the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2017 by most publications.

He started his high school career at Father Tolton Regional Catholic High in Columbia before his dad was hired as an assistant coach at Washington. Porter then transferred to Nathan Hale High (Seattle), where he was coached by former NBA star Brandon Roy.

The 6-foot-10 forward put together a dominant senior year after taking a Nathan Hale High (Seattle) program that had won three games the year before to an undefeated national championship while averaging 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.

Porter was committed to play under his dad at Washington until Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar was fired.

Michael Porter Sr. was then hired to be an assistant under new Mizzou head coach and former Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin.

Washington granted Porter Jr. his release from his national letter of intent and he moved back to Columbia to play under his father and the new Mizzou head coach.

2. His time at Mizzou was short

After scoring 21 points in 23 minutes in an exhibition game against Kansas, the hype around the freshman and the Mizzou basketball program started to grow.

But it didn't last long.

Just two minutes into his highly-anticipated season opener, Porter left the season opener with a back injury that put his season and Mizzou career in question.

MORE: Michael Porter Jr. wants to revive Missouri, leave legacy

The school said the surgery involved two discs in his back and that he was expected to make a full recovery.

Porter made a surprising comeback for Mizzou's lone game in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. He shot 5-for-17 in a 62-60 loss to Georgia.

In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Porter played 28 minutes off the bench and went 4-for-12 shooting with 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Nine days after the season, Porter declared for the NBA Draft. He played in three games during his college career.

MORE: Why Missouri bet big on Cuonzo Martin and pay keeps rising in SEC, Big Ten

He played 53 minutes and scored 30 points on 10-for-30 shooting with 20 rebounds.

3. Porter thinks he's the best player in the draft

Despite Porter's short career, he still considers himself to be not only one of the best players but the best player in the upcoming draft.

“I mean I played against all these guys,” Porter said at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago in mid-May. “They’re all great players but I’m the best player in this draft.”

More: Michael Porter Jr. says he's healthy and 2018 NBA draft's 'best player'

Porter was comparing himself to Arizona's Deandre Ayton, Real Madrid's Luka Doncic and Duke's Marvin Bagley because that's who he was ostensibly battling to be the No. 1 pick.

Porter told reporters that he originally injured his back when he was undercut going up for a dunk as a sophomore in high school and that the microdiscectomy spinal surgery he had in November was minimal.

"They just had to take a piece of the disk, like 10% off that nerve, and they said, I got another MRI, they said the site is healed fully," Porter said. "I feel pain-free, and I feel better than I’ve felt for a long time."

Michael Porter Jr. declares for NBA Draft Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. has declared for NBA draft, he announced Monday. He will hire an agent, ruling out any chance of a return to school, Yahoo’s Shams Charania reports.

4. A recent injury has raised questions but he's striking them down

Reports of a cancellation of a recent workout have raised more questions about the durability of the prospect.

Porter was scheduled to hold a workout for teams in Chicago but canceled due to a strained hip. It brought questions to whether he would be made available for a pre-draft medical exam, wrote ESPN NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony.

The forward was eventually cleared to go through the workout.

While promoting his partnership with Autotrader, Porter told USA Today that a lot of the reports coming out of the injury weren't true.

"I read so much of that stuff about me and people are reporting stuff … ‘Dang I didn’t even know this is happening to me!'” Porter said.

“People were talking about how I couldn’t get out of bed. No, I got out of bed, I went to the workout but my hip was a little sore. I told (agent) Mark (Bartelstein) and he said shut it down for a couple of days, just being safe. He’s a really cautious guy, really has the best interests in me in mind. It’s tough, sometimes you want to tweet back: ‘No, that’s not what happened.’ You just have to let people say what they want to say and at the end of the day, you’ll be alright.”

5. What experts are saying

Experts have been cautiously optimistic about Mizzou's former highly-touted prospect.

While the risks of injury are there, the possible rewards could outweigh them in the end.

"He showed that he's alive and well and moving," Memphis general manager Chris Wallace said at the combine. "I would say (he) passed that first test."

Former Georgia head coach Mark Fox expects the former Tiger to go high.

"He's a very versatile player," Fox said. "And I'm thankful that the kid's gotten healthy because he was a terrific talent. ... He'll be a top-five selection. I remember watching him in high school, and he's as complete of a player as there was at that level."

The USA Today Network and Associated Press contributed to this report

Where NBA Draft experts have Porter going (last updated)

ESPN's Jonathan Givony — No. 7 to Chicago (June 14)

The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor — No. 4 to Memphis (June 13)

NBADraft.net — No. 9 to New York (June 16)

Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo — No. 5 to Dallas (June 12)

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman — No. 7 to Chicago (June 11)

NetScouts Basketball — No. 3 to Atlanta (June 5)