The Denver Nuggets are within two wins of claiming their first championship ever and if they take Game 4 of the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat on Friday, they will be one win away. Despite his struggles in the Finals, Michael Porter Jr. remains a key part of this Nuggets team and he could very much prove to be a factor in any game of this series.
Being a dangerous perimeter shooting, as well as someone who can impact the game rebounding, Porter's recent slump does not seem to be that much of a concern to Denver. Ahead of Friday's pivotal game, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone spoke about Porter's presence and why he believes a big game is on the horizon for the former first-round pick.
“We believe in Michael. He is our starting small forward,” Malone said during Finals media availability on Thursday. “I have zero doubt he is going to have a very big game coming up here that is going to help us win this championship.”
After scoring in double figures in all but two of the Nuggets first 15 playoff games this year, Porter has scored in double figures just once in the NBA Finals. Recording 14 points on 5-16 shooting and 13 rebounds in Game 1 against Miami, Porter has combined for just seven points and 13 rebounds the last two games.
During the regular season, the Nuggets forward shot 41.4 percent from three-point range and leading up to the Finals, he was shooting about 40.8 percent from deep. Through three games against the Heat though, Porter has shot just 3-19, 15.8 percent from three-point range.
Who knows, maybe Porter will have a massive breakout performance in Game 4, but the fact of the matter is that at some point, his shooting woes will come to an end and when they do, Malone will be grinning on the sideline.
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