Michael Porter Jr. was a great Nugget — and he should be remembered that way

DENVER — Michael Porter Jr. wasn’t perfect. Far from it.

But, boy, could he make you leap out of your seat.

He swung playoff games with a flick of his wrist, splashing giant shots while gutting through debilitating injuries.

When the Denver Nuggets finally climbed the mountain and won their first NBA title in 2023, he was right there, hitting a clutch transition layup in the closing minutes of the NBA Finals.

His time in Denver may be up, traded on Monday to the Brooklyn Nets, but you have to remember MPJ mattered. Porter mattered to the Nuggets in real ways, on important nights, in playoff series.

MPJ was a great Nugget. Period. And if you can’t say it without wincing, you probably weren’t paying close enough attention.

Porter is just another casualty of the new financial reality — a product of a greedy collective bargaining agreement designed by owners to curb their own spending. But before moving on to the very good player the Nuggets got back in Cameron Johnson, it’s worth pausing for a moment of appreciation. Because MPJ was a great Nugget. Full stop. And he should be remembered as such.

When the Nuggets took Porter at No. 14 in 2018, it was an interesting spin on the roulette wheel. Back injury, little college tape, all red flags. If it didn’t work out, it was worth a shot on one of the best prep prospects in recent memory. History will remember the 2017 NBA Draft as Denver’s real disaster — not the lottery ticket they took on Porter.

But it did work out in time.

MPJ slowly worked his way back from injury and ascended to being one of the best shooters in the league. He became the type of guy who could star in a random game against New Orleans or torture the Lakers for a week to win a playoff series.

Porter became a starter during the famed 2020 bubble run, flashing a rare mix of size and touch. By 2021, he looked like a future All-Star, averaging 19 points on elite shooting splits. Porter helped the Nuggets win a playoff series against Portland right after Jamal Murray tore his ACL. It’s how MPJ earned the max contract that he’s still on, a wildly risky but completely deserved deal. That is the MPJ experience: thrilling, terrifying and entirely dependent on your perspective.

And though another back surgery followed, when he returned, he fit seamlessly into the team Denver will never forget.

There is no one quite like Porter. Not in Denver. Not anywhere, really.

Porter finishes his Nuggets career second in 3-pointers made, second in playoff rebounds, third in playoff blocks, third in playoff minutes played, fifth in playoff steals and sixth in playoff points.

Simply put, Porter lived up to being a member of the big three next to Murray and Nikola Jokic.

He is 6-foot-10 and can shoot over anyone — and often did, even if it wasn’t the best shot. Sometimes we wondered if he saw his teammates at all. But when the shot went in? The math worked out.

No, Porter wasn’t always consistent. He wasn’t always healthy. But when he was on, he was unlike any shooter Denver has ever had — and that includes guys like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Dale Ellis, JR Smith and Murray.

You could gripe about Porter’s shot selection next to Jokic and Murray, the ball-stopping next the big man’s playmaking, the occasional blank stare on a backdoor cut that left the Serbian dumbfounded. But every team wishes they had someone to hit a shot like Porter can. Denver did have that guy for six seasons. Even Jokic, famously hard to impress, was eventually won over by MPJ’s skill.

MPJ shot over 40% from three in four of his five full seasons on the court in Denver. He did it off movement, off balance, with defenders in his face. His height and quick release made his jumper almost unguardable. Over time, he actually developed a serviceable cutting game, scoring 24 points this year without even hitting a three. And when he didn’t get passed the ball down low, he would snatch it as one of the team’s better rebounders.

When Porter finally bought in defensively — especially during the 2023 title run — he proved he could be more than a scorer. He made nasty backside rotations. He windexed. He sacrificed. He didn’t pout when his shot stopped falling in the Finals. He kept grinding.

That’s what winning players do.

Porter went from wanting to take over basketball as his own star to a winning player happy to accept a role next to his brothers.

Some will forget just how important Porter was to Denver’s rise. He was one-third of the homegrown core alongside Jokic and Murray. His emergence allowed the Nuggets to stay patient with their build. Famously, the Nuggets don’t skip steps. Porter’s shooting opened up the floor for Jokic to become the best player in the world and for Murray’s clutch to become infamous.

Even in the 2024 playoffs — despite the tough finish in the Minnesota series — Porter was often Denver’s second-most consistent player. He carried the Nuggets for stretches. He grew. He matured. He stayed healthy. He became reliable. That matters. He even took the blame for the Wolves loss — even when it wasn’t his fault.

Porter never became a superstar. He wasn’t the two-way All-NBA wing fans all hope for next to their best players. But MPJ was a really good Nugget. He stuck with the franchise through injuries that would end many players’ careers. He played through unbelievable family adversity that was made public.

Porter evolved. He turned into the version of himself that could win. Not just put up numbers, not just go viral — actually win. He helped Denver reach the mountaintop. And for that, he should always get his flowers.

The most unbelievable part about Porter is that his Nuggets career is about what he did and not just a what-if. Twice missing seasons for back injuries, playing through drop foot and back issues at other times, MPJ’s legacy in Denver is somehow not about what he wasn’t.

It’s not about the injuries. It’s not about the ceiling he didn’t quite hit. It’s about the moments he gave us. The way he opened up the floor. The swag, the heat checks, that absurd shot against the Lakers in 2024, the growth. It’s about a kid who arrived with a broken body and left a champion.

Michael Porter Jr. should be remembered as something simple and meaningful: a champion. A Nugget. A great one.

Here’s to wishing Mike well in his fresh start with the Nets.

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