NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. came into this season expecting to play a different role after being the third offensive option for the Denver Nuggets. Porter has not only adapted to being the primary scoring option within Brooklyn’s offensive structure, but he is also getting comfortable being one of the leaders for one of the youngest teams in the NBA.
“Some players, when they’re put kind of in a certain type of box, then they only focus on shooting those shots in their workouts or doing those things,” Porter said after Saturday’s 119-101 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Porter had one of his best games of the season against a beaten-up Pelicans team as he dropped 35 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in what amounted to an all-around performance for the sharpshooter.
“But, I was always a player that always worked on different things and went and played in open gyms and still tried to dominate and shoot different shots,” Porter continued. “I knew that I would shoot in the Denver system. I feel like I prepared myself for an opportunity like this and mentally, I feel very comfortable being depended on and being a leader. That’s something I’ve done from a very young age playing basketball, but as you know, in the NBA, there’s a lot of guys who have been the man at some point in their career.”
Porter, 27, is playing so well that he could garner some All-Star votes if the Nets are able to win more games than expected by the time the voting for the All-Star game has wrapped up. Porter, in his eighth season in the league after being selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, is averaging 25.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 49.6% from the field and 39.2% from three-point land.
Porter’s presence on the floor cannot be overstated for a Nets team that has been missing arguably its most talented scorer in guard Cam Thomas since the early days of November with a left hamstring strain. Brooklyn is 8.5 points better in terms of net rating with Porter on the court and more to the point, he is one of the more valuable players in the league with a 1.0 VORP (Value Over Replacement Player), putting him on par with players like Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.