3 studs and 1 dud from Sunday night's Nuggets preseason game

Stud #3: Michael Porter Jr.

Beyond the obvious great play of Jokic and the progression of Strawther, the brightest sign for the Nuggets has been the play of MPJ. He looks bigger, stronger, and more polished as an all-around player. He has said that he’s in the best shape of his life and based on what we’ve seen, it’s not hard to believe.

Porter Jr. has been a fixture in the starting lineup for years but has plateaued as a shooting specialist. But given his contract, age, and the players lost in recent years, the Nuggets need more out of him. This year, it looks like he’s finally ready to take that leap.

Mike looks extremely confident out there with the ball and is moving decisively. The team is running a lot of designed actions for MPJ, and for the most part, he’s making good on them. Sunday night, he played 25 minutes and finished with 21 points on 8/13 shootings and 3/6 threes, adding 3 steals on the defensive end.

He looks like he’s ready to take on a lot more responsibility and become a bigger part of the offense. This is a welcome sight in Denver and something the Nuggets desperately need. All offseason there was talk of trading MPJ and turning that contract into something more useful. But if he is going to take a big leap, maybe the best solution is just keeping him in town. Early returns look excellent.