When the Denver Nuggets selected Michael Porter Jr. with the 14th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft last summer, they knew going in that Porter would likely miss the entire 2018-19 campaign.
Porter then underwent back surgery just weeks after the Nuggets drafted him, marking the second procedure on his back inside of eight months.
The 20-year-old was obviously not expected to play at all this season, but then he developed a drop foot, an issue that occurred as a result of his back problems.
Porter will be playing in Summer League this offseason, and he'll wear a brace to help stabilize his leg in doing so. Porter has actually been wearing the brace for months:
“To be honest, going into the season, I didn’t really expect myself to be able to play at 100 percent if I was to come play,” Porter Jr. said last week, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “But like, the way I feel now, it’s leaps and bounds beyond where I thought I’d be at this point. I feel so good. … I feel like I’m a better player than I’ve ever been.”
No one has ever questioned Porter's talent. As a matter of fact, before the back issues started stacking up during his freshman season at Missouri, many felt that he could be the No. 1 overall pick in 2018.
And now, Porter feels in an even better position to produce in his first NBA season after having absorbed everything while sitting on the bench for the entire 2018-19 campaign:
“It’s a huge advantage,” said Porter Jr. of his indoctrination to the league. “Just being on the bench, watching them play, seeing where I’m going to get my shots in the offense, and just learning the NBA game. It’s a lot different than college, spacing, and everything.”
The Nuggets enjoyed a terrific season in 2018-19, and they'll be adding an extremely talented youngster into the fold in 2019-20.
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