The Denver Nuggets could look like a bolstered version of their 2018-19 selves after coming a win shy of reaching the Western Conference Finals. Former No. 14 overall selection Michael Porter Jr. has yet to make his debut after missing all of this past season and now Summer League after another injury setback.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets' front office is aware of how badly Porter has been waiting to play after sliding from being a potential top-five pick to nearly out of the lottery:
“While we are all very excited about the potential impact that he can have, we also don’t want to put too much pressure on him,” said Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “He’s really hard on himself because he holds himself to such a high standard. Convincing him that this is going to be a process has been challenging. Which speaks to his competitiveness and love for the game. He wants it so bad.”
Porter has a huge chip on his shoulder after being considered the top prospect coming out of high school and a potential top-two selection in the 2018 NBA Draft before he committed to Missouri.
Unfortunately for the 6-foot-10 forward, his back issues plagued him in his first collegiate season, limiting him to only three games and flaring the flags of potential long-term medical issues.
Porter underwent a second back procedure that ended his would-be rookie season before it even began, but he's itching to get back on the court and prove his value to all those teams that passed on the opportunity to draft him.
Needless to say, neither Connelly nor the rest of that front office is in any rush to trot him out there, having come off their most successful season in recent memory. Porter is currently dealing with a knee issue and will be cautious ahead of next season.
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