The NBA has partnered with 2K to host a players-only tournament beginning on ESPN Friday night.
[jwplayer kSHbmusT]
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant are the favorites to win the players-only NBA 2K20 tournament set to begin on ESPN Friday night, according to SportsBetting.ag.
Durant enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed while Booker is the fifth seed. The seedings were based on overall 2K ratings as players with the same rating were seeded based on NBA tenure.
The first two rounds of the tournament are single elimination while the semifinals and finals are a best-of-three series. The winner of the tournament will receive $100,000 to donate to a charity connected to coronavirus relief.
The full odds with the player’s seed in parenthesis:
Devin Booker (5) +350
Kevin Durant (1) +400
Deandre Ayton (10) +600
Trae Young (2) +800
Donovan Mitchell (4) +900
Hassan Whiteside (3) +1000
Rui Hachimura (13) +1200
Andre Drummond (6) +1600
Pat Beverley (14) +1600
DeMarcus Cousins (11) +1800
Zach LaVine (7) +1800
Harrison Barnes (15) +2000
Michael Porter Jr. (12) +2000
Montrezl Harrell (8) +2000
Derrick Jones Jr. (16) +2200
Domantas Sabonis (9) +2250
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Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. and Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura are the two players set to represent the rookie class in the tournament.
Porter is set to play Devin Booker in the first round while Hachimura will play Donovan Mitchell. Should the two emerge victoriously, they would face each other in the second round.
Rui Hachimura and Michael Porter Jr. will get an opportunity to showcase their NBA 2K skills.
[jwplayer WXGWptic]
The players and matchups for the players-only NBA 2K20 tournament were released on Tuesday, and the NBA’s rookies will have some representation from two of their peers.
Per a tweet from The Boardroom, Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura and Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. will compete in the tournament, which the league hopes to start Friday. According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, the tourney consists of 16 players and will be held over the course of 10 days. It will be televised on ESPN.
Hachimura is slated to play Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell in the first round, and Porter is set to play Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker.
.@NBA2K's "Players-Only" tournament will air starting this Friday on @ESPN. Here are the brackets – who do you think is gonna take it all? pic.twitter.com/51ltOfjeqR
The tournament’s seeding was made by players’ 2K ratings, and then by tenure in the league. Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has the top seed, and the rest of the top five consists of Trae Young, Hassan Whiteside, Mitchell and Booker.
Hachimura and Porter are both going up against gamers in Mitchell and Booker, respectively. Mitchell has streamed some 2K clips during the hiatus, and Booker has been streaming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
With the NBA’s season on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, fans watching some of the game’s top players virtually compete could be entertaining. It’s going to be interesting to see the different styles each player utilizes on the sticks to try and snag a win.
Michael Porter Jr. finally was able to stay healthy this season and made shots at a high level. Can he round out the rest of his game?
Once a top prospect in high school basketball, Michael Porter Jr. began to ascend to his former stature this season after his tumble from stardom in high school. Appearing in just three games for Missouri caused the once top-two recruit to slip to Denver at 14 in the 2018 NBA Draft, where he’d miss all of his rookie season nursing a back injury.
During the 2019-20 season, Porter finally made his NBA debut, appearing in 48 games across a total of 670 minutes before the regular season was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Though he dealt with various minor injuries – missing 17 games in total – Porter remained healthy and on the court for the majority of the season for the first time since high school. And at times, Porter dazzled crowds in the same manner that he did back at Nathan Hale High School.
His per 100 possession numbers were solid, averaging 26.4 points. 14.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 42.2% from 3-point range and 53.6% from two with a relative true shooting of plus-2.9. Porter was one of only 10 players this season to hit those benchmarks in points, rebounds and rTS.
Porter’s shotmaking at his size is in unicorn territory and fuels his star upside.
As a rookie, Porter shot 42.2% from 3-point range on 7.5 attempts per 100 possessions. Only five other players this season hit those benchmarks at 6-foot-10 or taller: Karl-Anthony Towns, Danilo Gallinari, Davis Bertans, Kelly Olynyk and Nemanja Bjelica.
More than just spot-up threes, Porter’s versatility as a jump-shot maker from all areas of the floor is an outlier skill. He placed in the 91st percentile on catch-and-shoot jumpers this season and was the sixth-most accurate pull-up 3-point shooter in the NBA (>20 attempts); he converted 48% on 25 attempts and flashed ability off of movement from deep.
Few players of Porter’s stature possess the difficult shotmaking ability he displayed in year one, nailing all matter of impossible stepbacks, fadeaways and sprinting jumpers:
Shotmaking aces at Porter’s size and degree of difficulty on high volume are basically nonexistent and the ones who do exist are the likes of Towns, Gallinari, Peja Stojakovic, Hedo Turkoglu, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant, a list of some of the game’s greatest gunners and bonafide superstars.
There’s a chance Porter reaches superstar offensive status if this shotmaking improves and remains consistent as his volume increases, but shotmaking is about the only bankable above-average offensive skill Porter possesses. Most debilitating of his weaknesses at this stage are his decision making and general feel for the game.
Porter’s offensive profile is heavily reliant on a diet of these challenging jumpers, an approach that may not be sustainable as Porter’s career progresses. His light is greener than green on these shots, as Porter chucks ill-advised contested jumpers with too much regularity in favor of better offense.
At this stage, Porter’s lack of supreme burst and a relatively weak handle doesn’t open gateways to the rim offense, dropping his overall efficiency. Porter’s free-throw rate of 15.1% is abysmal for a player of his size and usage; there have been 33 seasons in NBA history of 6-foot-10 or taller players with a free-throw rate below 16% and a usage rate above 20 and the only All-Stars on the list are Nowitzki and Nikola Vucevic.
For his future scoring projection, his combination of a lack of penetration ability and shot selection issues are not positive signs:
Porter’s vision at this stage as a handler is lacking; while he doesn’t command defenders on drives because of his lack of burst and handling dexterity, his pure shotmaking gravity pulls defenders. Yet, he misses simple and complex reads alike regularly, posting a troubling 8:22 assist-to-usage rate.
Even if Porter is making passes in the clips below, these decisions are often suboptimal, squandering advantages and high expected value shots with slow processing, missing reads to the corner, back to the liftman in pick-and-roll and wide open streakers in transition:
Not creating advantages to the rim neuters his passing greatly and he placed in the fifth percentile on pick and rolls including passes on low volume:
Porter has shown some flashes of passing aptitude and is developing some basic pick and roll reads, like dishes over top to the roller and basic pass-outs. He has also dimed up cutters on his drives and has even had some screen manipulation with his handle and timing reading weak side defenders:
Still, his playmaking is starkly underdeveloped. Luckily, Denver’s offensive context should mitigate the need for Porter to create advantages on the ball.
Porter played 500 of his 1,388 possessions with Nikola Jokic, arguably the game’s best passer. While there weren’t too many significant differences in Porter’s efficiency or shot profile with Jokic on or off, his usage with Jokic off increased about three percent, his two-point percentage spiked 14% and his 3-point percentage plummeted 20%.
Ignoring any shooting number, Porter’s net rating jumps from -0.07 with Jokic off to +1.58 with Jokic on and playing more minutes with Jokic should be a boon to Porter’s offense.
Denver’s offense generates the second-most points on cuts of any offense and is the third-most efficient (1.359 PPP) and Porter will thrive as an oversized diver to the cup, circling around Jokic and slicing behind occupied defenders for easy scores:
Defensively, Porter’s intelligence deficiency on offense haunts him on the other end of the floor as well. He reads the game slowly as a defender; late or non-existent rotations and miscommunications in off-ball and pick-and-roll defense are too common at this stage.
Porter isn’t a playmaker as evidenced by his 1.5 steal rate and 2.6 block rate. That block rate ties for the lowest among players 6-foot-10 or taller this season, as Porter’s lagging help instincts lower his rim protection impact. He isn’t incredibly mobile either, beaten often at the point of attack and clunky changing directions in space:
Most of Porter’s defensive value at this point comes from his tools; his 6-foot-10 frame and seven-foot wingspan are good for the occasional steal or block. He’s big enough to body up in the post with larger players on occasion and can hang with slower perimeter attackers:
This season, Porter finished as the 314th best player per Player Impact Plus-Minus at -0.7, grading out as a slight positive offensively (+0.07) and a solid negative on defense (-0.78). That general valuation seems correct, as Porter’s decision making and driving hold back his preternatural shotmaking and his tools don’t do much to make up for his overall defensive lapses.
The determinants of Porter’s ceiling are, first and foremost, how good his shotmaking levels out at. If Porter can sustain this type of shotmaking production while age naturally irons out the rest of his game, Porter looks like a future star.
Those ancillary offensive skills will be the key to his true superstar upside. Most are not sure how much greater Porter’s rim gravity will get due to his injury history likely limiting his burst and mobility. His ball-handling and passing can improve, however, and at his potential baseline of shooting, those skills won’t need to be elite for Porter to add All-NBA value.
The other obvious key to Porter’s future success is remaining healthy. Not sustaining continuous minor or major setbacks should allow Porter to build up his defensive mobility, improving on that side of the ball as his intellect hopefully matures.
All in all, Porter’s rookie season was a relative success, flashing the upside of a future star but likely not of the superstar many once touted him as. If he can stay on the court and sustain his current shotmaking level along with the development of other skills, he could be a valuable piece for a Denver team that projects to compete for championships throughout the 2020s.
HoopsHype’s new series gives an inside look at shoe deals, with part one focusing on the three different tiers of sneaker deals.
This is part one of a four-part series that gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at shoe deals and the sneaker-free-agency process, with insight from various NBA agents, sneaker executives and industry experts.
Today’s NBA players are earning tremendous sums of money from their respective teams, but that’s not their only revenue stream. Many players also get a substantial paycheck from their sneaker deal (and other endorsements). In some cases, that’s where players are earning their biggest paycheck.
“There are some players who make more money from their sneaker deal than their NBA contract,” one NBA agent said, pointing to examples like Derrick Rose (who makes more from adidas than the Pistons) and Kyle Kuzma (who makes more from PUMA than the Lakers).
HoopsHype’s new four-part series delves into the sneaker business. First, we’ll focus on the different types of shoe deals. There are three tiers: signature deals, cash deals and merch deals. Here’s a breakdown of each type of deal:
SIGNATURE DEALS
These are for the league’s biggest stars, as there are only 17 players who currently have a signature shoe. These individuals either have their own sneaker or one in development (since the process takes 16-to-24 months). According to ESPN sneaker expert Nick DePaula, signature deals typically pay players a base salary between $5 million and $15 million per year (depending on the player) plus bonuses from a wide variety of incentives.
These players typically get a five-percent royalty on all of their footwear and apparel sales (although the percentage is negotiable). Players also get a product allowance, which determines how much free gear they will receive. When a player has a signature shoe, there’s constant communication with the sneaker company to go over ideas, colorways, samples, etcetera.
DePaula notes that the biggest stars (like LeBron James) often have multiple models that are released each year and these models all have different technology, price points and distribution. When you consider that James earns a large base salary, bonuses from incentives and royalties from all of his models and apparel, it’s clear that he’s getting some big paychecks from Nike.
Despite the fact that there are just 17 players with their own signature shoe, 65 percent of the NBA wears a signature sneaker model of some sort, according to DePaula.
“So many players around the league are wearing Kyries or Kobes or another signature shoe,” he said. “There are about 20 players who are currently wearing adidas’ Dame 4s. When you have a signature shoe, not only are you wearing it, many people around the league wear it and give visibility to your name.”
CASH DEALS
There are roughly 70-to-100 players around the NBA who are on a cash deal. These players can make anywhere from $200,000-to-$300,000 per year on the low end and $2 million-to-$3 million per year on the high end, per DePaula. They have a base salary, a wide variety of incentives and a product allowance (that allows them to order gear for free).
These are players who are notable enough to pique the interest of a shoe company, but they aren’t deemed marketable enough for their own signature shoe. However, many of these players do have PE (player exclusive) sneakers. Bradley Beal is an example of a player on a cash deal since he’s an All-Star-caliber player and Nike gives him PEs with his own logo and custom colorways.
Every brand is different, but Nike typically rewards All-Star players and top picks (such as Ben Simmons) with PEs. Jordan Brand gives players a PE of their favorite Jordan model when they sign with the company, and any Jordan Brand player who wins a championship receives PEs with gold accents.
“Jordan Brand is different because they only have 31 or 32 players. It’s an elite group… and everyone on the Hornets,” DePaula said with a laugh.
“The bigger the star, the more elaborate the contract and the negotiations are,” former NBA agent Matt Babcock explained. “The shoe company will likely demand a lot more from a star player in return for the lucrative contract. For a star (on a signature deal), some common terms that would need to be negotiated are the number of appearances, commercials and offseason tours. For a role player (on a cash deal), it wouldn’t be as elaborate, although there are some similarities like incentives.”
Some players turn down cash deals because they would rather be a sneaker free agent since that allows them to wear different brands throughout the year. Gilbert Arenas may be the most notable example of this. After parting ways with adidas, he spent the 2010-11 season embracing his sneaker free agency and wearing a ton of different brands (even rocking a pair of Dolce & Gabbana high-tops at one point).
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
MERCH DEALS
Most of the NBA is on a merch deal, which means the player isn’t getting paid to wear the sneakers, but they do get a product allowance. These players are typically end-of-bench guys or big men (because there’s a commonly held belief in the sneaker industry that big men can’t sell shoes, which we’ll get to later in this series).
Not only does a merch-deal player get free product to wear during games, these players often get a product allowance as well. They basically get store credit and can order anything they want online (from sneakers to clothes to women’s and children’s apparel for their family).
Most players on a merch deal have a $25,000 product allowance, but that amount is negotiable. Each year, players must spend their allowance by September 30 and the money doesn’t roll over to the following season.
When players have funds remaining as September 30 approaches, they’ll either add a friend or relative to their account or find ways to give back. Some players order jerseys and shoes for their old high school or AAU team while others order gear to give away at their summer basketball camp.
“Look at it this way: If you’re a max player, you’re trying to get a signature deal. If you’re a mid-level player, you’re likely going to get a cash deal,” NBA agent Roger Montgomery said. “And if you’re a minimum player, you’re just going to get free product.”
Every NBA team has a storage room either at their arena or facility where they have a bunch of shoes in their team’s colors that brands send them. For players who don’t have any shoe deal, their team’s equipment manager will typically provide them with free shoes from this room.
ROOKIE DEALS VS. VETERAN DEALS
It’s worth noting that there’s a difference between a player’s first shoe deal when they enter the NBA (their rookie deal) and when they’re a veteran who goes through sneaker free agency.
Most rookie deals are finalized shortly after the NBA draft because the shoe companies want to see when a prospect is drafted and which market the player lands in before committing to them. Rookie deals are typically four-to-five years long and players can earn big money if they’re a top pick (especially if they’re in a large market like Los Angeles or New York).
“With a rookie, you just don’t know how they’re going to turn out,” said AND1’s head of sports marketing Dexter Gordon. “That’s why a lot of times, when an agent has a lottery pick, they try to hurry up and lock in a sneaker deal. I have to decide whether to put my money on a rookie with a lot of upside when I don’t know what’s going to happen or go with a veteran who has proven himself and is a bit safer because I’ve seen them play in the league.”
Some prospects bet on themselves and wait until they take the court to sign a shoe deal. Damian Lillard waited until after he played at the Vegas Summer League to sign his first shoe deal, which was a risky move. However, Lillard was named the co-MVP of the tournament after averaging 26.5 points, 5.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds, and his patience paid off when he inked a lucrative rookie deal with adidas.
The biggest difference between rookie deals and veteran deals is that the former is all about projecting a prospect’s upside and marketability (like NBA teams do in the draft) and the latter is about evaluating a proven commodity (like NBA teams do in free agency). And unless a top pick develops into a star, they will likely earn less money on their second sneaker contract.
“I think the second deal is often more of a rude awakening for guys rather than a raise,” DePaula said. “Top prospects get paid a lot and then some of those deals look bad very quickly. There’s one rookie who was a top pick in recent years and he got $2 million per year, but months into his NBA career, the company was realizing, ‘This deal isn’t going to work out.’ That player will most likely get a merch deal when his deal is up. Rookie deals are kind of a crapshoot.”
In 2018, PUMA thought they hit a home-run by signing the draft’s No. 1 pick (Deandre Ayton), the No. 2 pick (Marvin Bagley), the No. 9 pick (Kevin Knox), the No. 14 pick (Michael Porter Jr.) and the No. 16 pick (Zhaire Smith). Now, that group feels relatively underwhelming, especially since PUMA missed on the up-and-coming stars from that class: Luka Doncic and Trae Young.
Be sure to check back later this week for part two of this series, which looks at what exactly has to be negotiated in sneaker deals and the many incentives that are included in shoe contracts.
Rookie Wire takes a look at the top rookies through the latest week of the 2019-20 NBA season.
Zion Mania has officially arrived in the NBA.
The No. 1 overall pick has now completed one full week of action with the New Orleans Pelicans, playing in four games since debuting against the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 22.
Williamson has already shown in a small sample size that he figures be a problem for years to come in the NBA. As a result, he makes his first appearance of the season on the Rookie Wire Power Rankings.
Here are the latest Rookie Wire Power Rankings:
All stats are through games played on Jan. 28
5. Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
Stats: 7.7 points, 4 rebounds
Last Rank: N/A
Porter checks in on the Power Rankings for the first time this season after some stellar play for the Nuggets. Head coach Michael Malone has finally found consistent playing time for the first-round pick and Porter hasn’t disappointed. Over the last two weeks, Porter is averaging 15.3 points and nine rebounds in seven games while he is shooting 51.4% (18-of-35) from 3-point range. The Nuggets are beginning to look like some mad geniuses for taking a chance on Porter and his rise up the ranks has been a welcomed sign for basketball fans alike.
With rookie teammate Kendrick Nunn nursing an Achilles injury, Herro has started the last three consecutive games for the Heat. Herro is averaging 15.8 points over his last four games, which trails only Zion Williamson for the most during that stretch. The Heat have had Herro running the point in place of Nunn with the rookie playing well in that role. He turned in an impressive sequence on Tuesday against the Boston Celtics after blocking Kemba Walker on one end, then finding a cutting Meyers Leonard for an easy dunk attempt.
As the Pelicans worked to ease Williamson into action, the No. 1 overall pick has seen a gradual increase in playing time, capped by a season-high 30 minutes on Tuesday night. Williamson has been highly efficient over his first four games, converting on 63.3% of his field-goal attempts. With much of the hype around Williamson subsiding now, he should be able to step in for the Pelicans, play his brand of basketball and work on his development.
Lonzo Ball lobs to Zion Williamson.
Zo finished with a career-high 15 ASTS Zion had 21 PTS (9-16 FG) & 11 REB in 27 MINSpic.twitter.com/MrJqIFgK8t
Nunn had been playing some of his best basketball of the season before an Achilles injury forced him to sit the past three games for the Heat. Over his last five games, Nunn was averaging 22.4 points on 51.7% shooting (15-of-29) from 3-point range. That stretch includes a 33-point performance on Jan. 15 against the San Antonio Spurs. Details of his injury are limited but it does not appear to be that serious so Nunn could soon find his way back into the lineup.
The runaway Rookie of the Year has sparked the Grizzlies to a 10-3 record during the month of January and has firmly kept the team in the playoff race in the Western Conference. Morant leads all rookies in scoring and assists and is second in field goals made. Although Williamson is back on the court, Morant should still be the frontrunner to be named ROY.
Cam Reddish, Atlanta Hawks: 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Reddish has scored in double figures in each of his last five games for the first time this season. He is averaging 14.8 points during that stretch and is converting 41.4% of his attempts from beyond the arc. His shooting numbers have improved each month, a sign he is becoming more comfortable.
De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks: 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Hunter is up to eighth in scoring among all rookies and is two games removed from scoring 25 points for the Hawks. Hunter is progressing well in his rookie campaign and could find himself among those invited to the Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend.
Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers: 12.2 points, 3.6 assists, 1.9 rebounds
Garland had scored in double figures in 15 straight games before managing just six points on Monday night against the Detroit Pistons. That streak was easily his best of the season after averaging 14.9 points per game during that time frame.
Porter apparently suffered the injury during his pre-game routine prior to facing the Rockets on the road.
Denver Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. is unlikely to play on Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets due to back tightness, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Porter apparently suffered the injury during his pre-game warmups in Houston and is expected to be listed on the injury report by the Nuggets as day-to-day moving forward.
The news occurs just after Porter turned in another career night when he tallied a team-high 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
The performance gave Porter his fifth straight game scoring in double digits.
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is unlikely to play against the Rockets due to back tightness that he experienced during his pregame routine. He's expected to be day to day.
After playing sparingly to begin his rookie campaign, Porter has started to come into his own for the Nuggets as he is playing his best basketball of the season. In 34 games played, Porter is averaging 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
The game between the Nuggets and Rockets will tip-off at 8 p.m. ET.
Michael Porter Jr. had another career night Monday night in a win over the Timberwolves.
Denver Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. turned in another strong performance on Monday night during a 107-100 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft scored a team-high 20 points and hauled in a career-high 14 rebounds in 30 minutes of work off of the bench. Porter has now scored in double figures in five straight games for the first time this season.
Porter finished by shooting 7-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, as he also added four assists and one blocked shot in the victory. Porter provided the Nuggets with solid defense and used his athleticism on offense to create for himself.
The Nuggets struggled to find consistent playing time for Porter early on this season but head coach Michael Malone has since found a way to get Porter involved and that decision is paying off. The organization took a risk by taking him in the lottery given his injury history but that gamble appears to be paying off now.
In 34 games this season, Porter is averaging 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds.
For a second straight season, the Denver Nuggets are in the mix at the top of the Western Conference. As of Friday morning, after their latest win over the Indiana Pacers, they’re second in the West, three games behind the Lakers.
That latest victory was thanks, in part, to Michael Porter Jr., who scored a career-high 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting off the bench.
That’s the second big game in his past three contests — he went 8-for-10 for 19 points against the Sacramento Kings last month — for the Missouri product who the Nuggets took 14th overall in the 2018 draft, a steal of a pick with other teams worried about the forward’s back injuries and surgeries.
Michael Porter Jr. with the smooth move. He is now up to a career-high 19 points. It’s simple, give MPJ minutes, and he produces.pic.twitter.com/RqhNQePHRf
He’s GOOD. Dude can go inside with his 6-foot-10 frame or shoot from the outside, the kind of stretch four NBA teams covet in 2020.
You have to assume the Nuggets are going to continue to continue to give him opportunities to shine, and that’s when it gets interesting with February fast approaching.
It seemed obvious that Denver would be in the mix at the trade deadline to acquire an upgrade — Kevin Love? Former Nugget Danilo Gallinari? Tristan Thompson? — to help them in the playoffs. I’d venture to say opposing general managers probably would have started with an asking price of Porter as the headlining prospect. Now? If you’re the Nuggets, you may have already made your acquisition … and if there was no way you were trading Porter before, now it’s out of the question.
Trade Machine Update: Michael Porter Jr. is banned from all fake Nuggets trades. He’s too good of an asset. What a fascinating in-season wrinkle for them. pic.twitter.com/hl43CUNTwz
When Porter plays significant minutes — a small sample size, but still — he scores. The defense will hopefully get there down the road. And although Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said it was “another glimpse into a very bright future,” you have to think the front office might not want to acquire the same kind of off-the-bench scorer to block Porter minutes (plus, a deal might dismantle what’s been a really sparkling rotation).
Obviously, this is all speculation. Maybe the Nuggets don’t want to thrust him into a bigger role too soon and feel that they need one more name to beat Bron and the Brow or Kawhi and PG in a very tight West.
At least they know that they have quite an asset that could both pay off now and in the future.
Michael Porter Jr. set another career-high on Thursday vs. the Pacers, finishing with 25 points in the victory.
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. nearly couldn’t miss on Thursday night as the rookie finished with a career-high 25 points in a 124-116 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Porter converted on 11-of-12 shots in the contest in 22 minutes of work off of the bench, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. He also added five rebounds and one assist.
The career night by Porter marked the second time in his last three games that he set a new season-high after tallying 19 points on Dec. 29 against the Sacramento Kings. Porter has now scored in double digits in three of his last four games.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has talked about the challenge of finding more minutes for Porter and it appears to be paying off for the team with the rookie contributing at a high level. The team knows Malone is a big part of the future and has to be encouraged with his recent play.
The Nuggets play next on Saturday against the Washington Wizards.
The Nuggets rookie poured in a career-high 19 points in his first start for the Nuggets during a win over the Kings.
Don’t look now but Michael Porter Jr. is beginning to heat up.
The Denver Nuggets rookie scored a career-high 19 points on Sunday night during his first start of the season as head coach Michael Malone looked to shake up the lineup.
Porter finished by shooting 8-of-10 from the field while adding four rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes of work. He recorded 13 points alone in the first half.
The performance by Porter continued a strong run for the rookie.
On Saturday, Porter recorded 11 points in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies, just his second time scoring in double figures. He followed that performance up with a career night in a win on Sunday over the Sacramento Kings.
Malone has mentioned several times this season that it has been a challenge to find minutes for Porter given the team’s frontcourt depth. On Sunday, Malone told reporters that Porter is a big part of the future and wanted to give everyone a glimpse of his potential.
Players often talk about how helpful it is to play better when they receive consistent playing time and it appears as though Porter is beginning to take advantage of his newfound opportunity. After dealing with injury problems in the past, the risk the Nuggets took on Porter appears to be paying off.
The Nuggets play next on Tuesday against the Houston Rockets.
