Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is looking to have a big year in his first season with the Nets after being acquired from the Denver Nuggets this summer. Brooklyn acquired Porter along with a 2032 first-round pick in exchange for forward Cam Johnson and the Nets are hoping that Porter can show more of his game now that he’s in Brooklyn.
“Trae’s trying to get back to the All-Star game. I’m trying to be my first time All-Star,” Porter said during a video on his “Curious Mike” YouTube channel. The video in question was Porter showing what a full day of offseason training is like with Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young and the duo both had something to say about what Porter can do next season.
“You’re averaging 25 plus [points] this year,” Young said when the camera panned to him. While Porter has not necessarily reached the level that Young is at in terms of achievements, Young has made it to the All-Star Game four times in his seven years in the NBA, the former Missouri Tiger is looking to be the impactful player that he sees himself being in a larger role.
“I love working out with shooters that challenged me as a shooter to get better,” Porter said following his workout with Young. “Sometimes when you’re just working out by yourself, you don’t have to challenge yourself and it can get a little stagnant, get a little boring, and a little hard to improve.” Now that Porter is in the Eastern Conference, he will be seeing Young more than just twice a year.
Porter, 27, is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 50.4% from the field and 39.5% from three-point land. Porter does have something under his belt that Young doesn’t and that is experience winning an NBA championship. By the sound of it, Porter is hoping to be the best version of himself for Brooklyn.