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Following an incredible playoff run this season, Denver Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. expressed his happiness to be entering the offseason completely healthy for the first time in years.
Porter scored 10 points and two rebounds as the Nuggets lost Game 5 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday and were eliminated from the playoffs. Porter and the Nuggets overcame two 3-1 series deficits and win twice in the same postseason before falling to the Lakers.
The 20-year-old turned in a solid rookie season with the Nuggets, one that saw him average 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 55 games. He made seven starts with the Nuggets during the seeding games and emerged as a key player during the playoffs.
Porter will head into the offseason fully healthy and vowed on Saturday to work to improve the weaknesses in his game. He told reporters that he wants to return next season a complete player as he looks to improve on the defensive side of the ball.
I know the areas where I need to improve on. This is going to be my first healthy offseason for a while so I’m going to really try to focus on those things that I need to improve on and come back a much better, complete player.
These experiences are unforgettable and I’m just trying to take them and learn from my mistakes but also just thank god for what we’ve went through this season it was a great season for us. Just because we have this pain right now doesn’t mean we didn’t do a lot of great things. Me, personally, I got to play on an NBA floor in my first year coming back from two back surgeries so I try to take the good with the bad.
Of course, Porter missed all of the 2018-19 season with the Nuggets after undergoing two back surgeries in college at Missouri. He fell to Denver with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and began to show off his potential this season.
The Nuggets will have quite a few decisions to make regarding upcoming free agents, including Paul Millsap and Jerami Grant, so the group could look different next season. Porter projects to have an opportunity to become a full-time starter so this offseason figures to be an important one.
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