NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Denver Nuggets are a great team. They have talent, but most importantly, they have chemistry. But one has to wonder where would Michael Porter Jr. be without his Nuggets teammates. That’s a fair question to ask. For all the talk regarding the Nuggets organization standing beside him as he dealt with his back injury, would Porter Jr be better off on another team?
Yes and no. He fits well beside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. He doesn’t have to do a ton and still find ways to impact the game. Plus, the Nuggets would not be the defending champions without the exceptional play of their young forward. But that question still lingers.
On the season, Michael Porter Jr is averaging 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game. He’s attempting 13.5 shots per game in a lineup that features two All-Stars. Just imagine what he could be doing if the offense was either centered around him or he was the 2nd option.
Porter has games where he looks a bit disinterested or he struggles with his shot. He does tend to forget that he has the skills to blow past his defenders and get to the rim. Those are the days when the team struggles to score. But then he has those nights where he looks like the best player on the court. Those are the nights when the Denver Nuggets are damn near impossible to beat.
The Denver Nuggets Will Be Porter’s Team
What would happen if he were to end up with the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, or the Houston Rockets? Each of those teams has scorers but neither one has that “it” guy. That’s exactly what Porter would become to those teams right away.
He’s a player you can build around and while winning will mask mistakes, winning can also mask skills. Jokic and Murray are the guys in Denver, there is no denying that. But Michael Porter Jr is the one who makes them tick. Without his slashing, rebounding, and three-point shooting, where would the assist totals for Jokic be?
It’s safe to say that he’s their best defender, especially on the wings. He’s young and athletic and due to the makeup of the Nuggets, he’s allowed to make mistakes on both ends of the court. That type of growth is what should scare teams. if he’s ever handed a team of his own, Porter will be up there scoring-wise with the league leaders and rebounding as well.
What the Denver Nuggets must be mindful of course is the salary cap issue that will hit them soon. Porter Jr recently signed a massive deal in 2021 that runs until 2027 and will pay him over $36M per season. Can the Nuggets stay competitive with Jokic, Murray, and Porter Jr taking home so much bank each season? Eventually, one will have to go, but who? Jokic should be a Nugget for life and Porter Jr is the youngest of three with the most upside.
