Can Michael Porter Jr. UNLEASH His Full Potential with the Brooklyn Nets? | NBA Trade Analysis

Can Michael Porter Jr. UNLEASH His Full Potential with the Brooklyn Nets? | NBA Trade Analysis

Coming up, Michael Porter Jr. has some post-trade comments that left Nuggets fans in a stir and Nets fans excited. What did he say? I’ll break down all that after this. You are Locked on Nets, your daily Brooklyn Nets podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome in to the Lockdown Nets podcast right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. It’s your team, the Brooklyn Nets, every single day. I’m Eric Slater, Brooklyn’s beat reporter for clutchpoints.com. Thank you for making me your first listen of the day. The show is 100% free on all those great platforms. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can get $150 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. And on today’s show, I’m gonna be joined by a familiar face for Nets fans to break down some comments from Michael Porter Jr. about his Denver tenure and his expectations with the Nuggets. We’ll also touch on just overall thoughts on the trade and how Brooklyn has positioned themselves in their rebuild. I’m joined now by Matt Brooks, a familiar face to Nets fans, former writer for Nets Daily, and now writer and digital content specialist for the Denver Nuggets. And Matt, we had a big Nuts Nuggets trade, so I had to bring you in. You got familiarity with both sides, obviously. Just right off the bat, we all know the deal. It was Michael Porter Jr. and a unprotected 2032 first round pick to the Nets for Cam Johnson. When news of that deal broke, just what was your initial reaction? How do you feel both sides did? Feels like a win-win like for what both teams want? You know what I mean? like this is a this is a great player for Denver to get who fits their timeline what they’re looking for and then in terms of uh the Nets like you got a really really valuable asset uh that 2032 first is a really premium asset that’s that is like a very very very good compensation in my eyes so yeah to me this is a this is a good trade for both sides I think you’re mar you’re maximizing the window of Nicole And then the Nets you’re thinking kind of ahead forward thinking move of of building for whatever’s next and I think there were the kind of reactions to the trade were all over the board among like media pundits and some people. I do know that a lot of people have said you know what you just said that 2032 first from Denver was being valued really highly across the league and people were kind of waiting to see if they would move off that to maximize you know um their window now around Nicole Joic. Then obviously MPJ was a little bit of a salary dump and the Nets bring in CJ, I mean the Nuggets bring in CJ to, you know, clear some flexibility, but also there’s a conversation about MPJ and CJ, you know, how do they stack up as players? Did the Nuggets create flexibility and get a significant upgrade? Some people feel that way. Some people feel that they’re in kind of a similar tier of player and the Nuggets kind of more so just replace them. Obviously, they do some things differently, but when you compare MPJ and CJ, how do you feel? Do you feel they’re in that similar tier of player or do you think it’s just something where CJ might be an upgrade and he’s bringing some things to the table that MPJ didn’t? Yeah, just looking through like some of CJ’s synergy numbers. He’s just really versatile. Like you can run handoffs, pick and roll. He’s a good cutter. Uh he’s had some hit okay like isolation numbers, transition. Again, these are just looking over the numbers. Uh but his his versatility is really what stands out. I think the Nuggets as they’re, you know, building past this championship season, they really want to find like multiple ways to win. Like that year they won and a lot of their offense and everything that they did was through that Jamal Murray, Nicole Joic pick and roll. Well, it’s been two years since then. That’s still a really effective play type, but it’s been two years. other teams have tape um and they are trying to bring in different guys I would say that can kind of add to that add different dynamics and Cam just is is that like he’s his versatility I think is what makes him stand out um in terms of shooting like they’re similar shooters I mean you know MPJ is one of the best pure shooters like just in terms of pure shooting touch in the world like he he is an unbelievable shooter. He’s really good on wide openen shots. Uh good catch and shoot guy. So, in that sense, I think MPJ is really solid there. Uh somebody like Cam Johnson is a little bit more of like a movement shooter. I’m sure you’re familiar with that. Like you can run uh ghost screens or have him slip out of screens. You can run staggers for him. So the I think the versatility is the big thing that I look at when I see Cam and what the Nuggets are looking at. Yeah. You know, you look at just where Cam graded out, you know, on all the different play types as you were talking about in terms of being, you know, a catch and shoot guy, a pick and roll ball handler, a cutter, even in some isolations. Last season, he graded out really high just across the board and everything he did was one of the more efficient players in the league. So, I’m sure you and the Nuggets uh fans are very excited to get a player like that alongside Nicole Yogic. When you look back on what Michael Porter Jr. did with the Nuggets, obviously he was there what, six seasons. since you got there right before the championship season. He obviously played a big role there and in the last two years, you know, he was healthier than in past, but maybe there were some ups and downs. Just when you reflect on that, how do you feel overall about his tenure, you know, covering him, what he was able to do on the court, all that? Well, he’s he’s a like you’ll have fun interviewing him like from reporter to reporter, you’ll have a lot of fun because he’s candid and he gives really good answers. Uh beyond that, I mean, again, I said it like he is a spacer. He really really spaces the floor well. Um, you know, one of the best shooters in the world. He’s got, I think, the third highest release point in the league, uh, behind Webby and Kevin Durant. So, he’s a really like he he can hit contested threes. He’s a really good shooter. And he made developments to his game over the last two years. I mean, for one, you mentioned it, like he’s been an Iron Man. He’s been like the Nuggets one of their what two me uh I’d probably say like two most healthy players maybe three with young he only missed four games the last two seasons I think total. Yeah. So it was like because people like the big thing with him was his injury history. Yeah. It’s a great story honestly like that he had three back surgeries and he ends up being one of the three most healthy players. Um I I think part of that was that he went through so many injuries. he values each game so much because he he really like there was a period of his life where he wasn’t sure if he was going to play again because I mean when you go through three back surger I I know you guys have seen it with uh Ben Simmons like that’s a really hard injury to come back from so he values every single game in that way and he was an iron man like it was him Christian Brown and Nola are like the three guys that have really stayed healthy u so yeah he he’s great in that regard and then just things that he’s added to his game I think he averaged the most uh paint touches of his career last year. His assists have gone up gradually, too. So, he’s he’s definitely added stuff to his game, but the big thing is the shooting. Um he’ll get a lot of opportunity with that Nets roster just with how many pass first guys. Uh I haven’t been super tapped into you guys summer league wise, but seems like that’s the general trend is there’s a lot of pass first guys. So, uh that’ll be good for him. He he is definitely a really good play finisher and you guys have a lot of play initiators. So to me, like I I could see him having some pretty big performances. Yeah. He had some comments, you know, about his feelings about his time in Denver. And we’re going to get that into that in a second and potentially what his role could be with the Nets. But last thing on this first segment, just when you look at outside of, you know, when he in his role, this complimentary role that he was playing with the Nuggets, and obviously a big part of the motivation for the trade for them was getting off the salary, creating some financial flexibility, being able to add some guys beyond him. But when you look at some of the areas that he might have come up short in these last few seasons to the point where maybe the Nuggets felt that he wasn’t worth the value that he was on that deal, what are some of the areas you felt like that they thought they maybe needed to add and improve, you know, that he wasn’t bringing to the table there? Yeah, probably just the shot versatility. Um, like he, as I mentioned, he’s a really, really, really good shooter. Um, but just the different ways I guess you can get three-point shots would be something where I to me Cam kind of separates himself. Um, and really most of it just came down to flexibility looking ahead and adding somebody that maximizes Nola like somebody like Cam who is again I’ve mentioned this a couple times but is dynamic and can you know affect the game in multiple ways. Um, you know, let’s say Nola sits. Well, you know, if you have a lineup with Jamal and Cam Johnson, we feel like there’s more you can do with that, right, that, you know, I guess like Mike and uh Jamal playing together. But yeah, I think a lot of it really just comes down to the different types of things you can run um that appeals about Cam in that way. All right, coming up after a quick break, we’re going to talk about some comments Michael Porter Jr. made about what his role could potentially be with the Nets and, you know, some things that maybe he’s adding to his game. So, we’ll touch on all that after a quick break. But before that, want to tell you about FanDuel, guys. Summer sports are in full swing, and whether you’re all about baseball under the lights, golf on the green, or highstakes soccer action, FanDuel is the best way to make every game even more exciting, you’re already following the action. Why not make it a little more thrilling? 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He filmed his own YouTube video, um, you know, kind of giving his reactions to the deal, how he found out, all that, saying goodbye to the Nuggets. And then we just talked to him yesterday at summer league and some of the comments that he made that stuck out to a lot of people maybe angered some Nuggets fans were that he felt that his ceiling had plateaued with the Nuggets and that he wasn’t able to do some things that maybe he wanted to. He was seeking an expanded role and now he’s going to a Nets team where he’s gonna have all the opportunity in the world to do that. So, first just when you hear him say that he feels his ceiling plateaued with the Nuggets and maybe he wasn’t able to do some of the things that he wanted to, you know, what’s your reaction to that and do you feel like is that something that you would kind of agree with? I think that’s valid. I mean, he’s a third option uh or was a third option out here and I’m sure there’s stuff like when you have a championship team, there’s buyin from everybody like Aaron Gordon is there’s a ton of buyin from AG. I think he even mentioned him uh in the media availability. So like I I don’t know if that’s even necessarily like a bad thing and I I personally am excited for Mike. Like I’ve seen Mike develop from a catch even just on the Nuggets team like just that Nuggets iteration. Um I’ve seen him evolve from a really good spacer catch and shoot guy um in the championship run to somebody who’s gotten much much better at catch and go stuff. So if you run him off the three-point line, he’s going to finish with a floater. He’ll he’ll finish through contact. That’s something that he added and he did that while playing within a role. So, I I’m excited to see what he adds. There’s other parts of his game I’d like to see, too. Like, he’s got a he was really accurate on mid-range shots. I think two years ago, he shot above 50%. So, it’ll be curious for me to see like can he have that type of efficiency and also dial up those attempts more. Um, so I’m excited for him. I mean, he’s going to explore a little bit more of a three-level game would be my assumption in Brooklyn. And that’s something that I know he’s wanted to do. And I’m I’m excited for him because that’s that’s fun. That’s the appeal of going to a team that’s maybe going a different direction is that you get to see, all right, what am I capable of? Like, what what can I do if I’m given kind of the free reign of the offense? Yeah. When we did the media availability yesterday, I asked him just about the comment that he felt his ceiling plateaued and what his expectations for his role were. And yeah, he did say, you know, when you’re on a championship team like that, everybody’s going to make sacrifices. And he said, you know, Aaron Gordon went from being a primary option to a fourth option. He was a third option. You know, he felt that he averaged, he said, you know, over 20 points per game. He felt like he has more he can do. And with this Nets team, they’re extremely limited in terms of shot creators. You know, they Cam Thomas is really the only highle shot creator and we’re all expecting him to be back, but he’s still unsigned and restricted free agency. But outside of him, you have a lot of rookie ball handlers who are not shot first guys to say the least. And, you know, there really isn’t much on the bench there. So, he’s going to have all the opportunity to expand his offensive role. But, I’m interested in how he’s going to do that because, you know, he’s a guy who’s obviously played, you know, off the ball and he’s think guy who you said can do things when run off the three-point line. So, do you think it’s going to be something where he’s going to be best still off the ball and kind of working off, you know, some of those zoom actions and things along those lines, or is it going to be something where he could try to be a little bit more of a primary ball handler, run some high pick and rolls, initiate things that way, or those things that you don’t really think that, you know, he has in his bag? I mean, I think there’s like no harm in like trying it. I mean, I don’t know. I don’t think that like the Nets are to from what I’ve gathered they’re being pretty measured about uh expectations and what the goal is next season. Um and I also think like you have what four rookie ball handlers. You’re going to want to give them reps like at the end of the day. That’s that’s the goal of this iteration of the Nets. Um is we want to let our guys kind of work through rookie mistakes uh adjusting to NBA speed. And the best way to do that is to have them make mistakes, handle the ball, deal with 82 games of this. So, yeah, I I think, you know, there you can, you certainly can. There’s no harm in seeing what um Mike can do with the ball in his hands. I’m sure Mike would like to do that, too. Um but I also think, hey, if that doesn’t work, that’s fine. We’re going to have Mike on the second side, and he’s going to be in a more dynamic second side role, right? Like it’s not just hey space in the corner for when Nola posts up. Like it’s like all right we’re we’re going to run a pick and roll on one side of the floor for you know one of the four or three four rookie ball handlers. Um we’re going to run that play and then we’re going to run maybe a stagger screen or or like you mentioned we’re going to run um you know a uh Chicago or Zoom set where he’s coming off a pin down flying into a handoff. So, um, yeah, there I I think no matter where it shakes out, he’s in a really good spot with this Nets team. Like, if if you’re sending him to any team and it’s not a championship team and he wants to explore his game, I actually think this is a really ideal uh like destination for him because he’s on a team where so many guys are going to be getting him the ball to be honest. Like that’s a lot of the offense is going to be, hey, we need Mike to finish plays and that’ll be good for Mike. Um it’s just kind of the numbers that he’s putting up. Yeah. I spoke with uh Jaor Dyman after the Nets last summer league game and I asked him, you know, have you spoken to Michael Porter Jr. What’s your thoughts? And his face like lit up and he was like, “Oh my guy’s 6’10, he can shoot threes. Like that’s going to be amazing for me. Like I need a guy like that.” So he’s really excited in that regard. But yeah, I mean I I’ve been interested in, you know, what MPJ’s expectations are going to be for what he’s going to do because like you said, the Nets have four rookie ball handlers. you’re going to want to get them reps. That’s the goal. But you also have a guy in Michael Porter Jr. who just said that he’s excited to explore, expand his game. He feels like he can do more. There’s another level he can reach. So, I’ve just been trying to, you know, think about how does how does he view that and is that more of an offball thing? Does he think that he’s going to have more on ball capabilities? But, you know, it’s interesting because there’s kind of like parallels. I almost feel like like remember when Jeremy Grant went to Detroit and he you know went from being a total complimentary guy to averaging like what like 23 24 points per game and was doing a lot of things that maybe he ultimately didn’t end up being long ter doing long term. I wonder if that you know is going to be a similar deal to how this plays out. Do you see any parallels to that situation? I do. And like here’s the thing like just like it doesn’t mean if if Mike wants the ball in his hands it doesn’t mean he’s like taking it the full court. like you can run a pick and roll in the second side and especially if you have ball handlers who they’re not necessarily score first if they don’t get the angle for a drive or or whatever kicking it to Mike’s second side and you have what 15 seconds left on the shot clock. Well, that that’s basically a mike possession where he’s handling the ball and creating. So again, like there are ways to do it. It’s not like it’s not so all right, you know, Mike is Mike is either handling the ball or he’s not like he’s either taking it 94 feet or he’s not. know, like there’s different ways you can do that and Jord is a really good coach. So, I I I I think it’ll work out and I think it’ll play a lot to Mike’s strengths and I I do like that call for Jeremy Grant. And here’s the thing too, like there have been guys like Jeremy Grant or I’m trying to think of like some other uh names like maybe uh male like male go gets goes and gets his own team and he expl you know a playoff team again and he’s able to take some of those things and apply them to a new situation and you know I I wonder if something like that could could hold for Mike like is Mike going to expand his game you know give different elements to what he’s able to do offensively and then can he take those things and if he does get moved in the future or you know his contract is up in two years, if he goes somewhere else, can he use those things and you know and and apply them to wherever he is next. All right, one more break and then we’re going to talk about what Nets fans should ultimately be expecting from Michael Porter Jr. and then get some thoughts from Matt on how everything has played out since he made his departure from Brooklyn because it has been a whirlwind. It’s all that coming up after a quick break. But before that, want to tell you about our friends over at Hungry Root. Let’s be honest, meal planning and grocery shopping can be overwhelming. Between busy schedules, picky eaters, and trying to eat healthy, it’s a lot. That’s why I love Hungry Root. They take the stress out of planning by filling your cart for you with personalized groceries and meal options based on what you like and need. Hungry Root uses their smart cart technology to recommend groceries, recipes, and even supplements tailored to your preferences. Whether you’re dairy free, gluten-free, focused on gut health, or just trying to eat better, Hungry Roots got you covered. 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If you were a Nets fan ultimately and you’re looking at MPJ stepping into this Nets team, just what would be your expectations for him based on, you know, what you’ve seen with the Nuggets, based on him trying to expand his game. How do you think ultimately that it’s it’s going to play out for him here? I I like it. I mean, I’ve said like I I like the fit. I think it’s a really good situation for him to explore his game. Um, and then also, you know, like continue to play within a team that he’s going to be a really big help for. Like he’s going to really help those young guys develop with his shooting and his uh ability to make plays if he’s ran off the line. So, I Yeah, I like the fit for him. I think for Nets fans, like the MPJ heat checks are fun. They’re fun, man. When that dude gets on, it’s like he’s hitting everything. So that’s a like those type of guys are really fun. Like there’s nothing like a MPJ game and he’ll do this like he’ll have first quarters where he comes out and he hits like four or five threes and this dude is like he’s got a guy in his face. Doesn’t matter. So um that’s fun. Like that stuff matters when you’re in a season where it might be a rebuilding year. Uh it probably will be. um that stuff makes those games when you’re in January or February and the team is whatever like eight games below 500 makes it kind of fun. So he’s um he’s he’s going to be really fun in that regard. An MPJ heat check I’ll definitely miss those because those those are fun. Those are fun and it it got the crowd in Denver like hyped like people it people were up on their seat about it. Speaking of heat checks, how do you uh feel about MPJ and Cam Thomas potentially sharing the floor together? At least offensively. We’ll try to keep it positive offensively. Uh yeah, that’s a lot of uh I mean it’s play finishing, right? I don’t know. I’m c I’m I’m actually really curious to see how Cam looks uh with the rookies. Like Mike, to me it makes a lot of sense. Maybe it’s just because I’ve watched Mike Moore and I haven’t watched Cam a lot in the last two years, but I like on paper those guys are like great play finishers because they both are wired to score. And if you’re playing them with a bunch of pass first rookies, that should work in my head. Like that that should be a good way to do it. And it’ll keep those two guys really happy, too. Like they’re going to be getting looks that they’re going to be like, “All right, I’m I’m looking to score on this.” There’s no there’s no question of oh do I need to enter the ball to you know let’s say Nola in the post like no like these guys your job is to score the basketball. Yeah. And last thing with MPJ we just touched on the offense obviously at length. I want to touch on the defense a little bit because you know we saw the Nets last season on first year under Jordy Fernandez were a team that punched above their weight for a lot of the season and a lot of the reason they did that was just out hustling teams and how hard they played. some of their guys pressuring guys 94 feet and then in the half court they ran a pretty aggressive defensive coverage just in terms of you know high hedging on pick and rolls recovering rotating on the back end scram you know switches a lot of that stuff just how do you how do you feel about what MPJ brought to the table defensively with the Nuggets because you know on paper he’s a guy who’s 6’10 he’s athletic you know you’d think he’d be you know a plus on that end just how do you feel ultimately about what he did there and what he’ll be with this Nets team yeah for Sure. Uh the I’ll say like the championship run, Mike was amazing as a weak side guy. Like that that was an awesome awesome like round two against Phoenix, I remember being really really good. Um he was really really good as a team defender then. And it’s funny as the years have kind of progressed, I think his isolation defense has improved a lot. I mean that in watching him that’s where I felt like the isolation like that part of his defensive package really stepped up was just him staying in front of guys getting in a stance part of that was probably just honestly getting back on the floor and being used to being on the floor being used to okay I can get into a stance and I can stay in front of guys because you got to realize like what that championship year that was his first full year back so he’s testing the limits of what he can even do physically um and by the end of you let’s say two full healthy seasons or three really. Um he he kind of trusted his body at that point. Um and the isolation defense was what was good to me. I actually felt like the team defense was the thing that slipped a little bit. So for him to be successful on this Nets team, I think the team defense, the rotating as the low man, that stuff ideally gets back to where he was at the championship level. U because he was great then. Like he was outstanding. I mean, he was a legitimate secondary rim protector and it made a big big difference for a Nuggets team that took a huge jump defensively. I mean, they from regular season to um postseason, I think they were the lowest the team with the lowest regular season defensive rating to win a title in the last 20 years. So, a big part of that was guys like Mike Baying in, you know, playing really good lowman defense. Um, so I think that will be the challenge for him. But the isolation defense I expect to be where it was last year because it was really good. And I find that really interesting because you know if he can guard isolation he is this weak side rim protector. The team defense stuff a lot of that you know comes down to understanding of concepts obviously and then just defensive engagement and buyin. But when you’re talking about a guy in MPJ like a I think a lot of people have just been viewing this as he was the throwin salary dump you know in the trade and things like that. But I know, you know, based on the Net’s comments and things that I’ve heard, you know, they think that they’re getting a highle player here. And I’m not ruling out the fact that he could be a long-term fit because, yeah, he’s owed, you know, a ton of money, like $79 million over the next two seasons, but the Nets are going to be rebuilding in those seasons. So, they’re really like no worse off for wear if they think that they can get him and then maybe extend him after that on a more reasonable deal. So, if you have a guy who is 6’10, you know, 40% three-point shooter on high volume, can maybe expand his game and do some stuff and then has that defensive capability if they can really get him to buy and lock in there. It sounds like a guy who should be, you know, a high level player in the NBA long term. So, are you viewing him as a guy, I think a lot of people have been down on him just because of what the contract is, but are you viewing him as a guy who could, you know, rehabilitate his value a little bit and be a long-term piece for Brooklyn? Yeah. And I also wouldn’t even like the contract really doesn’t matter to be honest. Like if you’re the Nets and you’re like, “All right, we have a bunch of like rookie scale guys.” Like, “All right, we have a guy making whatever 79 million.” Does it really matter? Like are you what? Like what does that matter? It mattered more for like a team like the Nuggets where the margins are a lot thinner and you’re dealing with aprons and stuff like that for the Nets. No, I I think you’re bringing in a player that’s talented and I I keep hitting on this, but like really really really could accentuate all the young talent you brought in. I mean, you brought in a lot of ball handlers. So, if you can find a guy who’s finishing plays and accentuating those guy, you know, those guys strengths and also just like making it fun for them to play NBA basketball, you know, like, all right, I’m I’m getting assists because I just made like a sweet no look down to the corner and MPJ just hit a contested three. Like, there’s value in that. There for sure is. So, um I think really for me that’s what it’s going to come down to. It’s not so much the all right, can he expand his game? I you definitely could, but you might even just look at it as a well, this guy really fits our young guys and what we’re trying to build here and we like that. We want we want somebody like this who’s going to take those guys game a level bit, you know, like a level higher and also they’re going to maximize his game. All right, last thing closing out the show, Matt, what year did you depart for Denver? Remind me that was the Nuggets. Was that 22 23? Yes. Uh, so we had, it’s funny, we had Cam here this week. Uh, he’s like showed up to a practice and, uh, I, it kind of hit me. I was like, “Oh, yeah. I forgot I covered two games of Cam Johnson.” Two games. Yeah. Two games. One of them was against the Knicks where they lost by like 30. I don’t know if you remember that game. Yeah. Yeah. That game sticks out. I wrote about it. It was the first time the Knicks had beaten the Nets um, in like since the Katie Kyrie era, right? So, I remember writing about that game. Uh, and then I got hired by the Nuggets like probably two days later or something like that. So, uh, that time that was a blur. It was fun though, man. Like I I got hired, covered, I think five regular season games. The Nuggets went like two and three or something. So, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I, you know, I’d been watching the Nets for 50 games. Yeah. And then you, and then you slide a championship ring onto your finger. So, uh, really interesting how things play out. But since then obviously the it’s been you know a lot has gone down uh in Nets world and they’ve kind of trended towards you know they got rid of male they got their draft picks back they’re into a full rebuild first lottery pick in 15 years I mean you’re a guy who has familiarity with the Nets with the front office there’s been some turnover since then but just overall just you know what are your feelings on how things have played out since then and the position that they’ve ultimately put themselves in now because you There’s it’s a little bit of a different direction. I think they’ve nailed it. I mean, like that that the amount of assets that they’ve gotten back for KD is crazy. That list just keeps growing. It’s insane. Um, and you like juxtapose that to like what the Suns got back, and it’s like it’s I mean, that was only what, two seasons, a year and a half, and it is that big of a difference. I mean, you’re getting what? The Suns got one pick back. Two picks back. Yeah, they got the number 10 pick. Yeah. It’s just like the Nets are still getting picks back. Yeah, it’s insane. So, uh they nailed that. They they nailed that trade. It’s completely changed their direction. It’s given them a direction. Um and it’s been exciting and their draft was really interesting. I first I’ve never seen a team take five draft picks, which is Yeah. It’s never happened. That’s why. Yeah. Yeah. It’s I’ve never seen that. Uh the It’s I’m curious. you probably know more than me, but I I’m curious like what they’re modeling that after. Like the league’s so reactionary. My thought was is this like a Pacers thing like where we’re going to bring in like four or five point guards. I don’t know. But it’s uh I I the point being I’ve really liked what they’ve been able to do and how they’ve been able to spin this because they’ve done a really good job of not only like shutting the door on the KD Kyrie era but immediately pivoting into the next era. Uh it’s it’s been honestly like really impressive to see how they pulled that off. All right, Matt, really appreciate you taking the time. I’m sure that Nets fans are going to be fired up to see a familiar face and hear from you about something that, you know, relates to the team you’re covering now and obviously Brooklyn. So, I really appreciate it, man. And, uh, yeah, maybe we’ll Nets nuggets. Maybe we’ll circle back and have some more content around those times. I’d love it. Let’s do it. That does it for this episode of Locked on Nets. Hope you guys really enjoyed the talk with Matt. Getting to hear from him again. obviously did a lot of great work when he was covering the Nets and I think he gave you guys a little insight into what MPJ did there in Denver. If you guys don’t already, make sure to subscribe to Lockdown Nets wherever you get your podcast with their Apple podcast or Spotify. Also, go to the YouTube channel. Be sure to like, comment, subscribe. You know, if you really enjoy this, anything you can do to engage is much appreciated. Leave a comment. Let me know what you think about MPJ’s comments. Let me know about your expectations for his role with Brooklyn next season. But I’m still out here in Las Vegas. We’re going to have coverage of the Nets Nick summer league game, Brooklyn’s third summer league contest. How are the rookies doing? Is Drew Timmy comp continuing to dominate? Do we have a summer league MVP on the horizon for him? I’ll have all that when I’m back tomorrow talking more Brooklyn Nets basketball.

Erik Slater and guest Matt Brooks discuss Michael Porter Jr.’s potential with the Brooklyn Nets following his bombshell trade from the Denver Nuggets. They delve into Porter Jr.’s post-trade comments, detailing his evolution in Denver and exploring his upside in an expanded role with Brooklyn.

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