Michael Porter Jr. has had a long wait to get back on the court. His ankle was bothering him before play was suspended for the season, then he had a Covid scare that kept him out of t the bubble longer than many of his teammates. He finally made it to Orlando but wasn’t allowed to play in the previous scrimmage due to not having practiced.
With a practice and a shoot-around under his belt before the final restart scrimmage however, MPJ was finally allowed to take the court for the Denver Nuggets. He was the first player off the bench for Denver and lit it up, scoring 19 points, grabbing 7 boards and snagging another signature chase-down block highlight. He had a second block attempt that wound up as a goaltend, but even that just proved how much spring he has in his game right now.
His ability to fight for the ball on the offensive end and to have his jumper ready at all times definitely helps Denver’s bench firepower as they prepare for this end of the season stretch heading into the playoffs. With Will Barton ineffective early (and pulled just a few minutes into the game) and Gary Harris still not playing, Denver may need more of that scoring punch than they were anticipating.
MPJ’s performance tonight showed that, mistakes and all, he is ready to positively impact Denver’s upcoming run.
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