Porter not worried health will scare off teams

Michael Porter Jr. was going to be a top-three — if not the No. 1 overall — pick. Then a back injury limited him to three games in his lone collegiate season and soon the 6-foot-11 small forward from Missouri was draped in red flags. Health, not ability, became the topic of conversation.

And last week, his workouts were put on hold because of some hip spasms.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating. But you can either look at it as a negative or a positive, and I try to stay positive all the time. I had a little episode last week where I hurt my hip, had a little spasm,” Porter said Wednesday in Midtown on the eve of the NBA draft. “I went to work out and it just didn’t t feel right working out. … It’s been a roller coaster, but I’m feeling good.”

Porter still is expected to be a high- to mid-lottery pick. His talent and versatility demand it. He claimed it’s not about what slot he fills. He just wants an NBA career although he understands the concerns.

“A few teams are probably still a little concerned, and I understand that. But they all have my medical records, my MRIs, and I feel like for the most part most of them feel comfortable,” said Porter, who refuses a “why me” attitude. “Stuff happens in life and I’d rather it happen to me than my brother. I just try to look at it as I have to move forward. It happened and I can’t look back. Right now I just have to do what I can to get back.” Duke’s Marvin Bagley III has the bar set rather high in his mind.

“I want to be the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball. And I mean that in the most humble way possible. Not to sound cocky or come off as arrogant, but that’s just the mindset that I have,” he said.

Kentucky 6-foot-6 guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about the “craziest” question he heard during the pre-draft workouts. He gave his choice — and his answer showed some pretty sound, quick thinking.

“The craziest question was like how many basketballs can fit into a room,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I asked them a question back. I asked them whether the basketballs had air in them or were they deflated. They were impressed by that and forgot so I guess I got out of it pretty good.”

Texas center Mo Bamba sees Sixers star Joel Embiid as a big-brother figure.

“Literally as I got on the plane to come here, from L.A., I saw him. So I was headed to … one of my workouts and somebody tapped me on the shoulder and was like, ‘ Your boy’s in the car.’ And I was like, ‘Boy?’ I peek inside the car and it’s Jo-Jo. He’s like, ‘What up?’ ” Bamba said. “We just chatted it up for about 45 minutes. He’s given me a lot of advice, just on the pre-draft process, what to expect, you know, what to do, what not to do, how to kind of conduct interviews. He’s seen it before. He’s been there.”