Michael Porter Jr. will shine in Orlando
By Evan Siegel
The Denver Nuggets have a deep roster, but Nikola Jokic’s positive COVID-19 test could doom them. Michael Porter Jr. is set to step into his shoes.
The Denver Nuggets couldn’t believe their luck when Michael Porter Jr. fell all the way to 14th overall to them. Setting his lengthy injury history aside, Porter Jr. was easily one of the three or four most talented players in his draft class, giving an already talented roster another huge piece to play with for the future.
Not only does the presence of Porter Jr. make some of the other veterans on the team slightly more expendable, it also gives the Nuggets one more potentially elite perimeter scoring option. Once the bubble league resumes in Orlando at the end of the month, the Nuggets are going to need to get Porter Jr. as many touches as possible.
As more and more players continue to opt out from joining their teams in Orlando, the apparent stakes of this season continue to diminish. Regardless of any individual or team accomplishments, the rest of this season will be met with extreme scrutiny and any champion will be crowned with a figurative asterisk.
The Nuggets should do everything they can to win the championship if at all possible, but Michael Porter Jr. has a chance to simply put his head down and play a bunch of NBA action with far less pressure on his shoulders due to the lack of fans and the softened media hype surrounding play.
The Nuggets have a uniquely talented player on their hands. Porter stands 6”10 and packs a huge punch when in the paint. He is strong enough to fight through contact and make it all the way to the rim without losing a step. Gary Harris and Will Barton are slightly less physical players who rely more on shiftiness and twitchy change of direction, whereas Porter Jr. can simply rise up and shoot over defenders.
Next. Denver should bring home this former Nugget. dark
Porter Jr. has the chance to become a Jayson Tatum-type scorer. His enormous shot radius can get him almost any look he wants and it will be fascinating to see how Michael Malone and the Nuggets decide to put his skills to work. Once play gets back underway, Porter Jr. is going to put the league on notice.