Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. isn't the bad guy that everybody claimed he was. That's what new Nuggets guard Austin Rivers learned about the 22-year old in the short time he has spent with Porter Jr. as teammates.

Rivers gave a near 2-minute spiel singing Porter Jr.'s praises and revealed just how much of amazing person and teammate he is on and off the court. While doing so, he also criticized the media for painting NBA players with a bad reputation just after one controversial statement.

Via Mike Singer of the Denver Post:

Rivers has only been with Denver for over a week and he'll be sticking around with them for the remainder of the season. Nonetheless, it hasn't taken the 28-year old guard long to see the kind of person Porter Jr. really is.

To recall, MPJ drew a bad rep around the league following controversial remarks he made during their 2nd round match-up against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020 NBA playoffs. Specifically, Porter Jr. said something about how the Nuggets needed to involve the rest of the team more if they wanted a chance to beat the Clippers (spoiler alter: They did).

His statements made headlines and became a hot topic on sports shows during that time. Even some players around the league criticized Porter Jr. for not knowing his place, especially since he was just an inconsistent rookie at that time.

Alas, nearly half a year later, and Porter Jr. has blossomed into an absolute stud for the Nuggets. The unfortunate ACL injury of star point guard Jamal Murray has turned into a blessing in disguise for MPJ. The 2018 no. 14 overall pick has stepped up big time for the loss of Murray and is thriving as one of Denver's main focal points on offense.

Since Murray went down, Porter Jr. is averaging 25.7 points and 6.7 rebounds, while making 56.7 percent from the field and 50.7 percent from 3-point country.