Sunday’s matchup between the Nuggets and Nets feels like a lot more is at stake than usual between these two teams, and that’s because of one Michael Porter Jr., who will face his old team for the first time since being traded in the offseason.
MPJ was drafted by Denver in 2018 and spent the first six seasons of his career with the Nuggets, becoming a champion in 2023, but never fully reaching his potential as a prospect. Things finally came to an end over the summer when the Nuggets dealt MPJ and a 2032 first-round draft pick to the Nets for Cam Johnson.
Mike wasted no time telling the world about how he had plateaued in Denver and was ready for a new opportunity to show what he could really do, throwing some shots at the Nuggets in the process. But to his credit, he has backed it all up, so far having an incredible first year in Brooklyn, scoring over 25 points a game on elite efficiency.
Porter Jr. has played so well, in fact, that he’s being considered to make the All-Star game, something that was never even fathomable during his tenure with the Nuggets. It’s especially notable as Jokic has famously never had a teammate make an All-Star team. Now, his former teammate is immediately making a strong case, as is his current teammate, Jamal Murray.
Murray and MPJ may both make All-Star game for first time
For years, they played off each other, with a sort of balancing act as the number two and three options for the Nuggets, and now free of each other, both MPJ and Murray are thriving. I’m not saying there’s a direct correlation, but Mike clearly took a back seat to the Joker and Murray, sacrificing his own stats, while Murray was inconsistent as a second option.
Both players are averaging career highs across the board this season, each over 25 points per game, and each is trending toward a first All-Star game appearance. And on Sunday, they’ll face off for the first time in their NBA careers, and they’ll do so as first options.
Porter Jr. has missed the past couple of games with an illness, but he’ll be good to go on Sunday, leading his Nets team that has been surprisingly pesky of late, going on a 7-3 run in late December with Mike leading the way.
Jamal will be the lead option due to injuries, of course, as he’ll be leading the way in yet another game without Jokic. So this might seem like a random throwaway game out in Brooklyn in early January, but there’s a lot more at stake than usual this time.