Michael Porter Jr. has been leaning into his new role since being traded to the Nets, and he has taken off recently. On the season, he’s averaging 25.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game, shooting 48% from the field and 39% from three.
Those numbers have gotten even better since Cam Thomas is out of the lineup, and furthermore, the Nets have been playing well and actually winning some games with MPJ as their go-to guy.
It’s becoming clear now that with a bigger role, Mike is capable of much more than he showed during his time with the Nuggets. It’s way too early to say, but the Nuggets have to be making the realization that perhaps they made a mistake flipping Porter Jr. and their 2031 first-round pick for Cam Johnson.
We’re still just a quarter of the way into the season, but Johnson has struggled to find his rhythm in the Nuggets’ offense, and his shot his been nowhere to be found. On the other hand, MPJ has raised his game and is having his best season by far, trending towards a potential All-Star game appearance.
Would Nuggets be better off with Porter Jr.?
While it’s easy to look at the stats and the output so far this season, it’s impossible not to factor in the context. MPJ is thriving in a 1A/1B type of role, but he’s doing it on a team that’s largely non-competitive.
Realistically, he would never have had that role on the Nuggets, and for good reason. Denver has had one of the most efficient offenses in the league for years, thanks to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Sure, Porter Jr. may have been capable of contributing more, but that wouldn’t have actually improved the offense.
At the same time, Johnson deserves some grace and time to get adjusted. He was used to playing a prominent role in Brooklyn, being a go-to guy for the Nets who was responsible for generating a lot of offense by himself.
But now, he’s asked to take a smaller role and fit in, playing mostly off the ball, picking his spots, and being more of a floor-spacer. It’s a big change, and it’s probably not fair to expect Cam to step in on day one and immediately make it work.
So, overall, the jury is still out on the trade. But early returns are looking like the Nuggets may have underestimated MPJ’s abilities, and overrated Cam a bit.