Michael Porter Jr. is gearing up for a bounce-back season after spending nearly all of last season rehabbing a back injury. The Denver Nuggets forward is a versatile high-octane scoring swingman who heats up faster than a microwave and has a bag deeper than the Mariana Trench.
His imminent return alongside Jamal Murray and back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic has made the Nuggets a threat to win the 2023 NBA Championship. However, Nuggets Coach Mike Malone still thinks Porter Jr. has room to improve.
“I think if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse,” Malone said. “I really feel that way. You never say the same, any of us. So for Michael, yes, he’s dealt with the injuries but understanding that for him, it’s a discipline within his offensive spacing. Get to the corner. Getting to the corner is not stopping above the break. He’s not a good; he’s a great corner three-point shooter. Well, have the discipline to get there every time.”
Porter has averaged 14.1 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game over his four-year career. In his most productive season as a professional, the 2020-2021 campaign, Porter Jr averaged 19 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game on 54.2 percent shooting from the field and 44.5 percent shooting from the three-point line.
Malone says the former lottery pick must also work on his off-ball awareness.
“Moving without the ball and spacing off the ball. He has the tendency, sometimes, to gravitate to the ball. Trust me, man, the ball is gonna find you. That’s the way we play.”
Despite playing in 125 of 309 possible regular season games in his four-year career, MPJ earned a five-year contract extension last summer. The Nuggets will look for him to take another jump after he competed in only nine games last season before being sidelined by injury.
