Nuggets Need Michael Porter Jr

When looking at the landscape of the NBA, the teams that jump out on the board are the Lakers,
Clippers, Bucks, Rockets, and then you have the Nuggets.

Despite Denver’s record, are you truly convinced they’re a title contender?

I’m not.

Last year, Denver lost in the second round to the Blazers in a hard fought seven game series. While
Denver showed they’re more than capable of competing in the western conference, that’s part of the
problem.

They’re just a cute competitive team. Hell, Utah has been competing since the 90s with no rings to show
for it.

Ironically, the missing piece to the puzzle is on the Nuggets bench. His name is Michael Porter Jr.

As the decade comes to an end, everyone is reliving the special moments. From viral vine videos to Kobe
dropping 60 in his finale.

What about the high school prodigies?

The likes of Anthony Davis, Andrew Wiggins, Ben Simmons, and most recently Zion Williamson were all
viewed as can’t miss prospects in high school.

In 2018, Missouri’s very own, Porter Jr., was looked at in the same ilk as the aforementioned names.
However, things changed when Porter injured his back during Mizzou’s season opener. The 6-foot-10
forward returned for the SEC tournament and NCAA tournament, but he clearly wasn’t the same.

It may be easy to forget, but Porter was the top ranked high school player and he was projected to go
number one in the draft. Unfortunately, the injury scared teams away which caused the Missouri native
to free fall all the way to the Denver Nuggets at 14.

Most teams in the lottery are looking for a franchise savior. That wasn’t the case for a Nuggets team
that missed the playoffs by one game two seasons ago. Therefore, taking Porter was a low-risk, high-
reward. If he pans out, great and if not, Denver has Nikola Jokic and depth to remain a playoff team for
years to come.

Nonetheless, the question remains, will MPJ ever get a chance?

If you ask me, he needs to because he’s Denver’s only chance to become a legitimate title contender.
With his unique size, ability to put the ball on the ground and pull up from anywhere, he adds a
dimension Denver simply doesn’t have.

There’s no disputing Jokic’s skill set from the center position. The all-star is arguably the best passer ever
for someone of his size and when you couple that with his soft touch, he’s a matchup nightmare. On the
flip side, Jokic seems content with being a pass first guy versus imposing his will inside.
Denver needs an alpha who’s willing to takeover games in the weighing moments. Do you really want
that guy to be Jamal Murray?

The former Kentucky standout is hovering around 18 points per game yet again, but he’s not the most
efficient scorer. It takes Murray nearly 16 shots to reach his average and he rarely gets to the line. To his
defense, if Jokic isn’t going to take demand, someone does.

I know it’s just preseason, but Porter showed flashes of the high school phenom we fell in love with. In
limited minutes, Porter shot 55 percent from the field.

The Nuggets have a slew of perimeter players from Will Barton to Gary Harris to Jerami Grant. Trust me
though, Porter Jr is different and hopefully the Nuggets realize that sooner rather than later.