Offseason improvements for Michael Porter Jr. to make

Defensive improvements

The issue with Porter’s defense is in part that he needs to use his size to his advantage more. Seeming to be more explosive vertically rather than laterally, MPJ is still 6’10,’ nearly 220 pounds and has a 7’0″ wingspan. Those physical tools should make it more difficult for ball-handlers to drive past him on the perimeter or for players to shoot over him anywhere on the court.

Whether it’s through Pilates, yoga, or some other method, Porter needs to work on stretching and loosening hips to improve his ability to change directions quickly. That’s his biggest weakness when he’s playing on-ball defense, as he’s often slow to turn his hips or change direction on rotations as quick as he would ideally.

Physically, Porter could also stand to get stronger. That way, when players try to drive past him or score over him inside, he’s able to knock them off balance and disrupt their rhythm. Adding strength would also aid him in getting through screens.

Mentally, Porter needs to study as much film and digest enough defensive schematics as possible, that way he’s at least faster to react to ball-movement. Ideally, MPJ would be able to be proactive and extensive study of his opposition’s tendencies would only make it easier for him to play both team and individual defense at a high level.

In the postseason, Porter allowed a defensive field goal percentage of 58.8, 11.0 percentage points higher than their percentage average.

Furthermore, on the 26 isolation plays where he was the defender this, opponents shot 12-19 (63.0%) from the field and scored 1.15 points per possession. On the 41 spot-up plays he defended this postseason, opponents shot 18-38 (47.0%) from the field and scored 1.32 points per possession.