Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone played down reports that Michael Porter Jr. is nearing a return from his back injury that required surgery, warning fans that they shouldn't believe anything they hear or read.

Porter Jr. has been out since early November 2021 due to his injury. After undergoing surgery later that month, it was believed he is out for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign.

Interestingly, recent rumors point out for a possible return for the injured forward in the next few weeks. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said that according to the agent of the Nuggets youngster, MPJ is “progressing to be cleared for on-court contact within the next week, freeing a path for him to return to the lineup sometime in March.”

However, prior to Denver's game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, Malone highlighted that it didn't come from them. While he refused to confirm or deny the report, he said that people should take it with a grain of salt.

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“I would say don’t listen to those reports. … They didn’t come from me, they didn’t come from Tim Connelly. They didn’t come from anybody within the Denver Nuggets. I would say, be careful what you listen to and what you read,” Malone said on the injury reports about Porter, per Mike Singer of the Denver Post.

Only time will tell if Michael Porter Jr. is indeed coming back or not, but there is no doubt a potential return would be welcomed greatly by Michael Malone and the Nuggets. While Denver is thriving even without MPJ and Jamal Murray, they really could use the two to ease the burden on Jokic.

Furthermore with the playoffs nearing, getting the two ready to shake off the rust and be fully healthy come postseason would be huge.