Without Jamal Murray in the fold, the Denver Nuggets' championship hopes might be in jeopardy. After all, Murray was instrumental in the team's impressive playoff campaign last season–which included back-to-back 3-1 comebacks.
The Nuggets still have Nikola Jokic, who's having another MVP-caliber year. It's safe to expect him to bring his A-game night in and night out. However, defenses are way tighter and smarter in the playoffs compared to the regular season. With that said, it would be extremely difficult for Jokic to maintain this level of play throughout the postseason. As such, several players are required to step up.
Among the talented players in the Nuggets roster, there's one player who stands out with the most potential and therefore someone who can and should carry the load with Jokic. That player is none other than Michael Porter Jr.
NBA fans are well- aware of Porter's development in his second year in the league. Right now, he's averaging 19.2 points per game, a major leap from his 9.2 points per night output last season. He's also averaging 7.4 rebounds (from 4.7) and is shooting at an elite 54.5 percent from the field (from 50.9). To recall, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone slowly integrated him into the lineup in 2020-21 by fielding him in bursts. Now, he's averaging 31.7 minutes a night and has been effective as part of the starting five.
The kid has definitely earned his stripes, and like any other profession, this leads to bigger responsibilities.
The loss of Murray means that Malone cannot rely on the dreaded Jokic-Murray two-man game. It has been their bread and butter. Here you have one of the greatest passing big in the history of the league paired with a slasher-shooter in Murray. But with the guard injured, all eyes automatically turn to Porter Jr.
“Yeah, Michael has to (be that guy),” Malone said of MPJ, per Sean Keeler of the Denver Post. “I mean, if it’s not Michael, who is it?”
He won't necessarily fill in the void left by Murray and transform into a slashing-shooting guard. Instead, Michael Porter Jr. will play his game: a potent scorer who can both power his way to the hoop or drain shots from literally anywhere on the floor. For those who haven't seen him play, these are not exaggerations. The kid, who stands 6-foot-10, possesses a confident stroke from deep–so much so that some analysts have compared him to Kevin Durant.
Some might argue that Porter Jr., amid his improvements in the regular season, will probably choke in the postseason. But the truth is, it's in the playoffs where Porter Jr. shines as evidenced by his performance in 209-2o. He averaged 11.4 points across 19 games. He was a key part of those Nuggets 3-1 comebacks against the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Interestingly, Porter Jr.'s best series was against the Los Angeles Lakers where he put up 12.2 points per game.
For those who saw him in the 2020 playoffs, this might have been the time where Porter Jr. got that confidence boost. There were moments in the game where MPJ seemed to take matters into his own hands through sudden pull-up jumpers with a defender right in his face. He did this several times even in clutch moments, and most of the time, the ball swished the net.
By now, we all know the cliché: it's in the playoffs where stars are born. Frankly, Michael Porter Jr. already raised eyebrows in his first postseason campaign. The scary thing is he wasn't the focal point of Malone's offense. Now that Porter has earned his coach's trust as well as found his game, it won't be foolish to expect the 22-year-old to lead the Nuggets to another deep run.
Maybe even win the title.
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