Michael Porter Jr. impressed in his first career start with the Denver Nuggets, taking the floor for the injured Gary Harris during a 120-115 win over the Sacramento Kings.
The rookie put up a career-best 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, but teammate Will Barton was not surprised by the output whatsoever:
“[He is] who I thought he’d be,” said Barton, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. “He’s so talented. I told him before the game, ‘Just go out there and relax and just play with energy. You’re so good that everything else will fall into place. You’re going to get shots and you’re going to hit them. You’re prepared for this. Don’t even think about it.'”
Porter has been a ball-dominant player his entire career, but due to the depth of this Nuggets team, he has had to find other ways to contribute when given an opportunity — gaining inside position, scrapping for rebounds and loose balls, and finishing plays with smart dives to the basket.
The Missouri product is mixing oodles of talent with a strong sense of fitting in, something which can prove difficult on a loaded roster like Denver's. Porter is just trying to go with the flow:
“I just looked for my opportunities,” said Porter, who had 12 points and hit all five of his shots in the first half. “I wasn’t trying to force anything. I was trying to take what the defense was giving me because I can’t shy away from shooting either, because that’s what I do. So I just tried to make sure my shots were in the flow of the game.”
Michael Porter Jr. spent all of the 2018-19 season recovering from a back injury, but he's slowly getting acclimated to being part of an NBA rotation with the Nuggets, working his way up with every minute he plays.
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