Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. underwent another back surgery earlier this season, and many assumed that he would wind up missing the rest of the 2021-22 campaign. But the Nuggets didn't rule him out then and still haven't ruled him out as he recovers, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post.
Porter underwent the surgery on Dec. 1, and both the Nuggets youngster and the team are reportedly encouraged by his progress. While there's still no timetable for a return as Denver proceeds with caution given his extensive history with back problems, it appears there's some optimism that he could return this season.
The 23-year-old dealt with back problems at Missouri, which is what caused him to slip to No. 14 in the 2018 NBA Draft. Porter then missed his entire first season because of back surgery.
Porter showed promise when he returned in 2019-20 and then broke out last season, averaging 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 54.2% from the field and 44.5% from 3-point range. This production earned him a five-year max contract.
Unfortunately, Porter struggled to start this season and then went under the knife again to fix the nagging back issue, which was almost certainly playing a key role in his poor performance.
The Nuggets are hoping to get Porter and Jamal Murray back from major injuries ahead of the postseason. Murray is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered last April.
Denver is currently 20-19 on the season despite the major injuries and other health problems, with Nikola Jokic playing at an MVP level once again for the sixth-seeded squad.
Follow Us
Subscribe