Michael Porter Jr. has quietly impressed during his preseason action with the Denver Nuggets
After missing what would have been his rookie season in 2018-19 with the Denver Nuggets, Michael Porter Jr. looks ready to make an impact immediately in his first NBA campaign. That’s the impression he’s making early on at least, putting up three impressive performances so far in the NBA preseason.
The Nuggets are a team that is coming off a historic season last year, where they won 54 games and finished second in the Western Conference, led by star guard Jamal Murray and versatile big man Nikola Jokic.
Although it could be tough for Porter to earn his minutes this season in Denver, he has all the attributes needed to succeed at the small forward position and contribute towards another huge season for this franchise.
Showing promise
Through three games, the former Missouri standout is averaging 10.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per night. Even though it’s going to be his first NBA campaign, Porter has looked relatively comfortable on the court, anticipating cuts to the hoop and making fadeaway jumpers look easy.
He’s showing the ability score from all over the court early on as well, sinking buckets from long-range, mid-range, and around the rim. Defensively, he has great length and that’s helped him be a physical presence around the hoop, registering several blocks in his first few contests.
Now although the Nuggets are quite deep at the small forward position with Torrey Craig, Will Barton, and Juancho Hernangomez eating up most of the minutes last season, if Porter continues to show off his versatile skillsets, he’s going to see more and more minutes this year.
We’re talking about one of the best players to come out of the 2018 NBA Draft and now that he’s fully healthy, the sky is the limit for the 21-year-old. It may take time for Porter to become a starter in Denver, but eventually, he will be in the first unit. The early glimpses we’ve seen of his breathtaking talent should excite Nuggets fans and most notably, their front office. They have a very special player on their hands.
Usually, with a lot of lottery picks, they tend to get a lot of minutes because they end up with a team that is typically rebuilding, so there’s room for error. Although that isn’t the case for Porter, he may become an even better talent learning from older players like Jokic and Murray who have recently become stars in Denver.
But even in these preseason matchups where he has only played around an average of 15 minutes per game, he’s taking advantage of the opportunities he’s receiving and excelling. The youngster is used to being the primary scorer as he was in high school and at the University of Missouri so that in itself will also be a different role for him. He’s creating opportunities for himself to score though by creating space and finding lanes to receive passes.
With two premier facilitators in Murray and Jokic, arguably the best passing center in the game, he’ll get his fair share of scoring chances this season when he’s on the hardwood.
These first few games are just an early glimpse into Michael Porter Jr.’s young career, but he is already showing exactly why the Nuggets selected him 14th overall. It’s going to be exciting to see what role he plays in Denver this season.