It's been a few weeks since the Denver Nuggets sent Michael Porter Jr. and a first-round pick to the Nets for Cam Johnson. Porter found out on a plane to Saint Tropez for vacation. He's since returned and made his way to Brooklyn, where he had his first official workout with the Nets.
Porter vlogged his first day in Brooklyn for his show, Curious Mike. In one clip, he said that after only one workout, the Nets had him "working probably as hard" as he had ever worked.
"I'm not even gonna lie, they got me working probably as hard as I've ever worked."
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 24, 2025
Michael Porter Jr. after his FIRST workout with the Nets 😭🔥
(Via curiousmike/YT) pic.twitter.com/KOC6kG5dzv
He said that he's "excited" about being with the Nets for what he called an "amazing opportunity." MPJ added that the staff is "getting him right already."
Porter's comment is interesting because he implies that he has probably already worked harder in Brooklyn than he did in Denver. Was he exaggerating? Probably, but he still said it. It doesn't help that his effort in the playoffs a few months ago was called into question.
The Nuggets went with Russell Westbrook over MPJ down the stretch of their Game 1 win over the Clippers in the first round. After the game, a reporter asked Nikola Jokic what he could do to help Porter stay engaged, to which Jokic said, "If you're not going to be engaged right now, then you're not supposed to be playing this sport."
Nikola Jokić asked what he can do to help Porter stay engaged:
— Brendan Vogt (@BrendanVogt) April 19, 2025
“If you’re not going to be engaged right now, then you’re not supposed to be playing this sport.”
He then said every game is different.
MPJ's quote about first workout with Nets isn't the best look
Jokic didn't call MPJ out specifically, but his quote was telling. He was 100 percent right, though. If you have to help your NBA teammate stay engaged during the playoffs (excluding personal issues that might be happening off the court), then you shouldn't be in the NBA. It's the postseason, for crying out loud!
Porter's quote about his Nets workout confirmed to fans that the questions about his effort were perhaps more valid than they had initially thought.
You mean to tell people that you went through one of the most challenging workouts of your career in your first-ever workout in Brooklyn? Just because the Nets are one of the bottom-dwellers in the NBA doesn't mean their players don't work hard, but still. Porter inadvertently made it sound like he wasn't trying as hard as he should've in Denver when he was healthy and on the floor.
It will be interesting to see what version of MPJ shows up in Brooklyn this upcoming season. He'll have a far more significant role in the Nets' offense than he did in Denver, so for his sake, he'd better be working hard.