Nuggets finally give a timeline on MPJ’s injury and he could be back soon

The Denver Nuggets have missed Michael Porter Jr. the past stretch, going 7-4 over the last 11 games with all four losses coming in the past seven games. But MPJ could be back very soon.

Head coach Michael Malone said ahead of Sunday’s game that there’s a chance MPJ plays in the next seven to 10 days.

Porter has been out since late November due to an left foot injury. He played injured for multiple games before he started sitting out, but MPJ was needed since the Nuggets were down Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon for a stretch due to illnesses. Porter also missed a game in October as he rebounds from nearly missing the entirety of last season with a back injury.

Injuries have been the story for Porter, costing him his lone college season, his rookie season, last year and now a small chunk of this season. Officially, his current injury is a left heel strain. Initially, they had been calling it a left heel contusion.

Malone said MPJ is getting closer. Said maybe there’s a chance within the next week to 10 days they can get him back.

“We miss Michael Porter Jr.”

— Mike Singer (@msinger) December 18, 2022

Porter has been warming up ahead of the Nuggets games, and as Malone noted, they have for sure missed the 16-point-per-game sharpshooter.

There’s some talk that the injury MPJ has is the similar to what the Denver Post reported before, which is that Porter has a drop foot—lacks feeling in his foot—as a result of his back surgeries and it looks as though the same injury may be impacting him again.

The Nuggets are 9-7 without the Missouri Tiger this season and are 17-11 on the season. They take on the Hornets on Sunday and have missed Porter’s rebounding as well as his scoring. The best game Denver played this season, a thrashing of the Chicago Bulls, was the last time the Nuggets had their entire starting five healthy.

Porter is fourth on the team in points per game and is one of the league’s better three-point shooters by percentage at 42.7%.

The Nuggets have their next four games at home and are in the middle of a stretch of 17 of 22 games in Denver. The Nuggets host the Suns on Christmas day, which could be an awesome time to see the return of MPJ.

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