When the Denver Nuggets ruled out Michael Porter Jr. indefinitely, there were fears that his current back issue is serious and could cost him some time, or worst, the season. Given his history with back ailments, these were realistic assumptions that both fans and experts made.
Now, according to the latest reports, those fears could indeed be true. Per Mike Singer of the Denver Post, MPJ's injury is a nerve issue. It remains to be seen what the team will do to help the young forward in his treatment, but a surgery is not out of the equation.
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is dealing with a nerve issue in his back that could jeopardize his season, league sources told The Denver Post.
The Nuggets have been vague about specifics of the injury and when Porter might be expected back. They have given him a timeline of a week to show improvements before considering other treatment options. Another back surgery is a possibility, sources said.
For what it's worth, after Sunday's loss to the Phoenix Suns–in which the Nuggets also lost Nikola Jokic to a wrist injury–head coach Michael Malone noted that Porter is in Florida to get more opinions with regards to his back issue.
Michael Malone said MPJ is down in Florida getting more opinions on his back.
— Mike Singer (@msinger) November 22, 2021
By the looks of it, it is possible the Nuggets are hoping to avoid another surgery since MPJ already had two even before he played an official NBA game. To recall, he first had surgery in his back during his lone year at Missouri, cutting his season short and pushing his draft stock down–which is why he ended up at Denver at no. 14 in 2018.
MPJ had another surgery after Denver picked him, forcing him to miss out his whole first year in the NBA.
There were high expectations that Michael Porter Jr. will have a breakout year this campaign after his already strong 2020-21 season. With Jamal Murray sidelined indefinitely due to a torn ACL, the 23-year-old was supposed to be the second option on Denver's offense and another leader for the squad–only behind Nikola Jokic.
“We’re gonna be without Jamal [Murray] for a lot of this season, so I’m gonna be looked to as more of a leader on that team,” Porter told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview before the season started. “I gotta be more vocal, so that’s one big thing I got to be better at.
“I think that I just got to be locked in every night and help lead my team on and off the court. Obviously put up points, grab rebounds, be more of a playmaker out there. That’s a few things I got to be better.”
Unfortunately, with the way things are going at, it looks like Porter is going to be out for far longer than expected. The Nuggets are naturally cautious of his condition, so it won't be a surprise if he ends up missing months of action.
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