Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is embracing a new role following his trade from the Denver Nuggets. The 6-foot-10 forward enters the 2025-26 campaign as a lead offensive option for the first time in his career. After years in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray's shadows, the former No. 1 recruit is relishing the opportunity to be more than a role player.
“In the NBA, if you wanna last, you have to be able to put your ego aside and take on a role, which is a lot of guys' problem. So I was able to do that, knowing we have the best player in the world in Nikola, knowing how lethal Jamal and Nikola’s two-man game was,” Porter Jr. said on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony. “But that confidence and feeling like I can make any shot on the court, that never left. So to go from that to this role [in Brooklyn], I feel kind of at home in my head. I don’t have to get that [mindset] back… I don’t think that mindset will ever leave me, and that’s part of the reason why it was so depressing [in Denver] at times, because that fire, that work ethic, and that mentality of not being ok not being the best, that never left me.
“To just be a player in the NBA, that always ate me alive. Knowing I’m looking at this dude and he’s not better than me, but I’m not able to always show it because of things I’ve been through, the role I’m playing, or injuries. To be in this role now, where I’m able to wiggle a little bit. Ya’ll thought I was shooting contested shots beforehand; it might get hectic. You're also gonna see some more assists because I’m gonna have the pill in my hand more. In Denver, when I got the ball, it was time to get it up. Now, if I’m getting touches throughout the entirety of the game and I’m always in rhythm, I’ll fall into four or five assists just by having the ball in my hands.”
Porter Jr. will have no shortage of opportunities to expand his offensive game with the Nets.
Carmelo Anthony challenges Michael Porter Jr. when discussing new Nets role
He and Cam Thomas are the team's only proven shot-creators. Brooklyn features three rookie point guards in Egor Demin, Ben Saraf and Nolan Traore.
While Porter Jr. is enthused about his new role with Brooklyn, Anthony challenged him to maintain the efficiency he showed in Denver.
“We want to see that. As a real true hooper and somebody who loves true hoopers, I wanna see you go hoop. I wanna see you play ball. I wanna see you get to your bag and do what you do,” Anthony said. “I also wanna see you do it in an effective and efficient way. Because you go from such [high] efficiency, in which you did in Denver, now you got the ball in your hands. Now I wanna see you be that effective guy, be efficient. Win, lose, or draw, you still should challenge yourself to do that. Because you don’t want the narrative to be, this motherf***er MPJ.”
Last season in Denver, Porter Jr. averaged 18.2 points, 2.1 assists and 1.4 turnovers while posting a 17.9 percent usage rate in 33.7 minutes per game. He shot 50.4 percent on 13.6 field goal attempts per game and 39.5 percent on 6.4 three-point attempts per game.
Through four games with Brooklyn, Porter Jr.'s efficiency has remained high amid a career-high workload. The 28-year-old has averaged 19.0 points, 3.5 assists and 1.3 turnovers while posting a 23.7 percent usage in 31.8 minutes per game. He's shot 47.7 percent on 16.3 field goal attempts per game and 40.0 percent on 7.5 three-point attempts per game.
Porter Jr. ranks sixth in the NBA in effective field goal percentage (56.9) among 18 players attempting over 13 field goals and seven threes per game. Only Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell, Stephen Curry, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen rank higher.
While the forward's offensive efficiency has been impressive, his defense has left much to be desired. Porter Jr. has posted a +12.1 defensive rating, the fourth-lowest among all forwards to play over 100 minutes, per CleaningTheGlass. The Nets have allowed 522 points (130.5 per game) through four games, the most in franchise history.
Porter Jr. has one year left on his contract at $40.8 million after this season. It remains to be seen whether he will be part of Brooklyn's next iteration or flipped in a trade for other assets.
