Denver Nuggets: 4 Goals for Michael Porter Jr. for 2022-23

If the Denver Nuggets want to make a meaningful run to the NBA Finals in a wide-open Western Conference, the most important part of that success will be Michael Porter Jr. No, I’m not joking.

Yes, yes, I know. Two-time defending NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and NBA Bubble legend Jamal Murray are Denver’s top two players, but we’ve seen what they bring to the table. They are known entities. Michael Porter Jr., not so much.

We’ve seen what MPJ is capable of since the Nuggets drafted him number 14 overall in 2018, but only glimpses and snapshots (including a hot start to this season, which we were expecting), never enough sustained production to really get an idea of just how good this team could be with him on the floor and in the zone every night.

The 24-year-old has had his highs and his lows, getting highs like Mount Evans and lows like Flo Rida.

So, what does MPJ need to do to make sure that he contributes his best season as a pro in 2022-2023 while avoiding the pitfalls that have affected him negatively in seasons past? Here are four goals for Michael Porter Jr. to strive for during this campaign.

Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Michael Porter Jr. goals for 2022-23: Stay healthy

Michael Porter Jr. has always been known as an absolute specimen. He’s 6’10” with a sweet stroke at that size rivalled only by the likes of Kevin Durant. That’s darn good company. Only, MPJ is actually bigger and stronger. He’s already filled out his nearly seven-foot frame and has the body type that one would think could handle the rigours of an NBA season with no problem.

Unfortunately, the reality has been very different for Porter Jr. After a high school career that saw him win not only Washington State’s Mr. Basketball award but also the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year award in 2017 as he absolutely dominated his peers, MPJ went to Missouri to play college ball.

There, he played only three games totalling 53 minutes in his freshman season due to back issues. His inability to prove himself at the collegiate level because of those back problems were a huge reason why he fell in the 2018 NBA Draft, when he should have surely been a lottery pick—and possibly a number one overall selection—based on his talent and ceiling.

Thankfully for the Nuggets, the Columbia, Missouri native fell to the 14th pick in that draft, and the powers that be in Denver brought him to the Centennial State. He didn’t play at all in his rookie season because of the back problems, but in his second year he put up very impressive numbers while playing 61 games during the COVID-shortened season.

He was once again hampered by his back last season, however, during which he was only able to play in nine games.

We all saw what this unicorn of a basketball player could do during those glimpses of health in the bubble (where he averaged 22 points on a 55/42/93 shooting line in the lead-up to the playoffs) and in his sophomore campaign, though, and that’s why he was signed to a five-year $172 million extension before last season.

Through six games this year, MPJ is averaging 18.5 points with an impressive 47/49/80 shooting line. You just don’t see very many guys a hair shy of seven feet shooting 50 percent from the 3-point line, and that undeniable talent and efficiency are why Porter Jr. needs to stay healthy this season so that he can help propel the Denver Nuggets to the next level in 2023.

Michael Porter Jr. goals for 2022-23: Stay dialed in on D

If there’s one thing that the Denver Nuggets did not draft Michael Porter Jr. for, it’s his defense. He’s been ‘the guy’ since he was a teenager, and with a 6’10” frame and a jump shot as beautiful as Halle Berry, it’s unsurprising that he never felt the need to work on his defense.

However, playing alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray will necessitate a change in that arena. While the Joker and the Blue Arrow are both great players, neither has ever been celebrated for a period longer than a fortnight for their defensive effort or acumen. Therefore, MPJ could certainly add some defensive prowess to his game to not only boost his value to the franchise, but more importantly, help Michael Malone’s Nuggets win.

In his first two seasons, MPJ was clearly struggling on D while putting up less-than-desirable defensive rating (how many points the player is giving up per 100 possessions) numbers of 112.4 and 111.9. Last season, though he played only a few games to start the campaign, he put up a 94.7 rating, showing that the big, smooth shooter was able to play some D when he wanted to.

When matched up with guys like Klay Thompson (1-4 against MPJ, per NBA.com) and Jordan Clarkson (1-3) he has been able to show what he can do on the less glamorous end of the floor. With the tools he’s been gifted and worked for recently on defense, all he needs to do is give the necessary effort on that end, which is what head coach Michael Malone has been seeing, according to The Denver Post, Mike Singer:

"“He’s committed to trying. That’s all I ever want. I’m gonna make mistakes, players are going to make mistakes, but if you genuinely care and are committed to trying and making the effort, then we’re never gonna have any problems. Michael has shown a tremendous amount of growth in that regard.”"

This season, he’s putting up a 109.8 rating, good for second on the Nuggets’ roster. Given his combination of size and length and athleticism (his wingspan is seven feet flat), it should not be surprising that the Columbia kid actually has some defensive chops.

Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Michael Porter Jr. goals for 2022-23: Stay positive

When a guy comes out as highly touted as Michael Porter Jr. did when the Nuggets drafted him 14th in 2018 you expect a bit of a diva attitude. At times, people have seen a bit of that, but in the entirety of his Nuggets career, MPJ has mostly been as quiet as a mouse off the court while giving away little if nothing regarding his emotions on the court.

In this day and age in the NBA, the 3-point shot has more importance than ever, but that has not changed its volatility at all. As many in NBA circles say, if you live by the 3-point shot, you die by the 3-point shot. It’s one of those things that can simply vanish and reappear without any reason other than volume or time.

As someone who relies on his 3-point shot (and a darn good one at that, as the Mizzou product is shooting 49 percent from deep this season), MPJ is definitely vulnerable to the volatility of the trey.

Even the greatest shooter of all time experiences downtimes with a shot as fickle as the triple. Steph Curry had an eight-game span last season where he shot just a hair under 30 percent from deep. If it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone.

The message to MPJ here is: stay calm, and keep shooting that thang. The only thing that can make a cold streak last longer than it should is a lack of confidence. If you keep shooting it with confidence, it will start to drop again even after the ugliest of downturns. MPJ is no Curry, but he’s got a ton of talent, and should always maintain the positive attitude he’s always shown despite the turbulence he and his basketball career have been through since he left his hometown as a high school senior.

Michael Porter Jr. Goals for 2022-23: Stay hot

If there’s anything the Denver Nuggets can count on from Michael Porter Jr.’s game, it’s his sweet, sweet shooting stroke. One could even argue that the 6’10” forward’s jump shot is as easy on the eyes as that of the future Hall of Fame guard closing out on him in the above photo.

It’s really not an exaggeration either. Anyone who’s seen the kid play knows he can shoot the lights out of the gym. He shot an eye-popping 51/42/83 shooting line mostly coming off the bench in his first NBA campaign after missing his rookie year following back surgery. That was just the start.

The next year, he started 64 of 71 games and put up an absurd 54/45/79 shooting line that would have even the Splash Brothers blushing. When it comes to shooting the ball from downtown, there aren’t many that can match MPJ’s skill and efficiency. And the best part is, he knows it too:

"“[Shooting] 50 [percent from] three to me is not an unrealistic number. I’m not saying it’s easy to do, but, I mean, I miss a lot of shots still that I think I should make and I’m at 50 percent. “So going forward I think that’s not unrealistic. I think in high school I shot like 75 percent from three… If you’re a 40 percent shooter you’re a really good shooter, but making one out of every two shots doesn’t seem that crazy to me.”"

Since he started playing in the NBA in 2019, only three other players have been more efficient when it comes to shooting from long distance, with MPJ putting up a .425 mark in that time. He’s got the talent and the confidence to do what he’s been doing this season, all the 24-year-old hooper needs to do is keep on chugging.