The Warriors traveled to Brooklyn and took on the surging Nets on Monday, and though Golden State emerged with a 120-107 victory, some players were impressed with what they saw. After the game, Draymond Green was asked about facing Michael Porter Jr. with his new team and explained, “He didn’t have as much freedom in Denver… He’s kind of showing that he’s the player that everybody thought and knew he was coming out of college. He’s finally getting to show it.”
Green acknowledged that it’s a different role and that Mike didn’t have the ball as much in Denver, but it’s hard not to take these comments as subtle shots at the Nuggets. He’s clearly suggesting that they never gave Porter Jr. the freedom to reach his potential and that everyone knew he had this upside coming out of college, but was held back.
MPJ had a very solid career in Denver and played a big role in helping the team win the 2023 championship. But there’s no doubt he has taken his game to another level this year with the Nets. He’s putting up career-high numbers across the board, averaging 25.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, and doing so on very impressive efficiency.
Fair to wonder what could have been in Denver?
It’s hard to be too critical of the Nuggets, a team that was constantly making deep playoff runs led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. But still, it’s hard not to wonder what could have been, and to wish that Mike could have unlocked this version of his game in Denver.
He had opportunities over the years with different guys out, but he never showed any consistency in doing much more than shooting. It’s more than the new role in Brooklyn; it seems like he has new confidence and energy. He has been empowered by his new team, and he’s taking advantage of the opportunity.
It shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing for the Nuggets. They weren’t in a position to develop players or go through growing pains, and taking the ball out of Jokic’s hands would have been unfathomable.
It feels like a real win-win deal for both sides, but you have to marvel at what Mike is doing. The Nets are in a total rebuild, but they’ve won 7 of 10, they’ve bought in on defense, and Porter Jr. has been the linchpin, boasting a real case to be a first-time All-Star.
He deserves all the credit and any accolades that come his way. Nuggets fans should be happy to see him thriving. But let’s not act like they failed Mike or held him back, when in reality, they helped him become a winning player, and built his confidence to the point where he’s ready for this massive new role on a team that’s currently 10-20.