Denver Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. finally made his much-awaited NBA debut for his team on Thursday agains the New Orleans Pelicans. Unfortunately for the Nuggets, they suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of a shorthanded Pelicans side, 122-107. It was, however, a pretty impressive debut from Porter, who logged 15 points (on 5-of-8 shooting), one 3-pointer, four rebounds, an assist, and just one turnover in 21 minutes of play.

The Nuggets have not exactly had the best of starts to the new campaign, with the team now 3-2 in their first five games. After logging three straight wins to open the season, Denver has now lost back-to-back contests, including Tuesday's 109-106 defeat against the Dallas Mavericks. It is also worth noting that the Nuggets barely escaped with a win against a Deandre Ayton-less Phoenix Suns side last week, so all in all, Denver has certainly left a lot to be desired thus far.

This rather sluggish start is perhaps the very reason why a guy like Michael Porter Jr. should be given a bigger role in the team's rotation. At the moment, the 21-year-old is pretty far down the pecking order, as he currently sits behind starter Will Barton and third-year small forward Torrey Craig in the rotation.

Nonetheless, Porter's performance on Thursday did raise more than a few eyebrows, and despite the fact that he did some of this damage in garbage time, there is no doubt that the potential is there for the highly promising 6-foot-10 forward.

Barton is currently out with a toe injury, which forced the 28-year-old to miss Denver's matchup against the Pelicans. Craig got the nod to fill in for the injured Barton, but Porter definitely outplayed Craig in this one. Barton's injury is not expected to keep him out for long, so the explosive wing should resume his starting role sooner rather than later. While he is on the sidelines, though, Porter should get every opportunity to prove his worth for his team.

Let's not forget that prior to his back problems, Porter was one of the most highly recruited players in his class. Coming out of a record-breaking high school career at Nathan Hale High School, he was widely considered as a high lottery pick for the 2018 NBA Draft. However, Porter suffered a major back injury that would ultimately require multiple surgeries, which caused him to fall all the way to the 14th overall pick before he missed the entire 2018-19 season.

Porter is now healthy and ready to go for the Nuggets. He is a tremendous scorer who can create his own shot, and perhaps he is the spark Denver needs to jumpstart its season. Much is expected of the Nuggets this year following an impressive 2018-19 campaign, and with the whole league taking notice of the team's proven potential, a wild card like Porter should be an excellent source of energy for the second unit.

Realistically, Porter is not going to be challenging for Rookie of the Year, but at the very least, he has a great opportunity to prove possesses the tools to be a difference-maker in the NBA.