The Denver Nuggets are coming off a solid 110-99 win over the floundering Los Angeles Lakers, bouncing back from a rough loss suffered at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers. And they did it without a crucial part of their blossoming roster: rising star Michael Porter Jr.

The 6'10 forward was ruled out of the Nuggets' clash against the Lakers due to what the team called “lumbar management”, which is a shrewd move, given Porter's history with back issues. And then an hour and a half before the Lakers game, head coach Michael Malone even said that instead of being ruled out, Porter was ruled “questionable” on the injury report, and Malone echoed the same sentiments after their victory at Ball Arena.

According to Mike Singer of the Denver Post, Malone said that he expects Michael Porter Jr. to be ready to go for their opening night rematch against the Utah Jazz on Friday, his absence against the Lakers being a merely precautionary one and that he could have played had the Nuggets needed his services.

Alas, the Nuggets did not need the contributions of the 6'10 forward to pile on the Lakers' misery. Nikola Jokic showed why he's won the MVP award two straight years, dropping 31 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists, carrying the load offensively amid shooting struggles from Jamal Murray (6-15, 1-7 from deep), Aaron Gordon (2-8 for six points), and Bones Hyland (2-12, 1-5 from three).

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Nevertheless, Porter's health will be of utmost priority, especially with the Nuggets investing heavily on the fifth-year man out of Missouri following a breakout campaign in 2020-21. The 24-year old signed a five-year $179 million deal that could balloon to a $207 million agreement should he make an All-NBA team.

Porter ended up missing all but nine games last season after his back injuries proved to be too much to overcome, so it's wise for the Nuggets to ease on the burden he carries night-in night-out, especially when the season is still in its infancy.

In addition, the Nuggets will need Michael Porter Jr. if they were to maximize Nikola Jokic's prime. Porter averaged 19 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 54.2 percent shooting in 2020-21, and he has posted similar numbers to begin the year.

A healthy MPJ gives the Nuggets a player with arguably the most-coveted skillset in the league, a dynamic offensive weapon who can do damage both with and without the ball. If Porter could clean up his defense, the Nuggets will be a very tough team to stop as the season progresses, should the oft-injured forward manage to stay healthy.