Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets joined the starting line up for the first time in his young career against the Sacramento Kings.
Porter Jr. joined Jerami Grant, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, and Will Barton in the Nuggets' duel with the Kings on Sunday. He took the place of Gary Harris who's out due to a bruised lower-leg.
MPJ will get the first start of his NBA career tonight!#MileHighBasketball https://t.co/pUx4tbW5aG
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 30, 2019
Porter Jr. was the 14th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft but the Nuggets opted to sit him out so he may recover from his injuries. As such, the 2019-20 season is his first season. Thus far, he's averaging 4.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in nine minutes per game.
In a previous interview earlier this month, Nuggets coach Mike Malone said that he wants to slowly integrate Porter Jr. into the line up by getting him to play more significant minutes in the first and second quarters. For Malone, this measure aims to make Porter Jr. more comfortable on the floor. It will also allow the game to ‘slow down for him.'
Perhaps Malone's decision to insert him into the starting five signifies that he bigger plans for the 21-year-old. Many have pointed out the potential that the young man possesses. Perhaps Malone has already seen this first hand. And how he's slowly trying to unlock it.
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