The NBA draft is just about here. In a little over a month, we'll finally see where some of the nation's favorite college players will begin their professional careers. As a MU fan, however, this year is bittersweet due to the fact that Michael Porter Jr. declared he would be entering the draft. There are a lot of justified reasons why I think people could be mad at the situation: the vagueness surrounding MPJ's injury, the fact that he only played four games in a MU jersey and false promises of a deep run in the NCAA tournament. However, given the circumstances and looking at all he has done for MU, I think he deserves our support now more than ever.

I fully believe that if the NBA's "one and done" rule did not exist, MPJ would have never donned a MU jersey. So, the fact that we even had him at all is a blessing. A long list of events had to fall into place for MPJ to even consider committing to MU. To start, Kim Anderson was fired as the MU men's basketball head coach after winning only 26 games in three seasons. Around that same time, the Washington Huskies fired their head coach, which ultimately caused MPJ to de-commit from Washington. At that time, MU hired Cuonzo Martin to replace Kim Anderson and offered Michael's father, Michael Porter Sr., a job as assistant head coach.

On the court, MPJ's presence (coupled with Martin's recruiting expertise) at MU brought a lot of attention and talent to the team. Jeremiah Tilmon, Blake Harris, C.J. Roberts and Jontay Porter all followed suit which brought Mizzou's 2017 recruiting class rank to second in the SEC and fourth in the nation. While Blake Harris and C.J. Roberts eventually transferred, Jeremiah Tilmon and Jontay Porter went on to be large contributors to the team's success.

In addition, the team's performance overall was exceptional compared to recent years. In 2016, the Tigers averaged 60 points, 37 rebounds and 12 assists per game while shooting 39 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc. Compared to this year, the team improved or remained the same in every single one of those categories. They reached 73 points, 37 rebounds and 13 assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc. Coupled with a 20-13 record and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012, MPJ's presence on the team meant more than just seeing him playing in a MU jersey. It signified a culture change both in the organization and on campus. While MPJ's absence definitely put a slight damper on that excitement, there was no denying that MU had reclaimed the title as a basketball school.

It's hard to ignore the fact that MPJ was placed in a lose-lose situation regarding his injury. I won't lie, the lack of transparency and ambiguity didn't help. But, he had to choose either sitting through the season and letting his injury heal at the wrath of many Mizzou fans or re-enter the lineup before he felt 100 percent healed. I respect him immensely for playing in both the SEC and NCAA tournament even through a first-round elimination in both instances.

Many mock drafts still have MPJ drafted in the first round at either the sixth, seventh or eighth pick to the Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls or Cleveland Cavaliers respectively. If he lands at any one of those picks he'll be one of the highest drafted players in Mizzou history, following Steve Stipanovich and Doug Smith. Regardless of where MPJ lands, there's no denying that he helped usher in a new era of Mizzou basketball, one that will surely bring in lots of success (and hopefully a championship) in the years to come.