NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. came to the Nets this past offseason in a trade that some regarded as the Denver Nuggets trying to get off of his contract. Prior to coming to Brooklyn, Porter said that he was ready to show more of his game. After showing what he can do on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, Porter reflected on facing his former team.
“I think I mentioned it in the summertime at some point that I was excited for that first matchup against them, really since I’ve been traded and just how that whole thing went down,” Porter said after Sunday’s 127-115 win over the Nuggets. Porter finished the game with one of his best all-around efforts of the season as he dropped 27 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and one block in 32 minutes.
“I was kind of looking forward to playing against those guys, for sure,” Porter continued. “It’s been circled on my calendar for a minute. I probably felt a little bit more nervous for this one than a lot of other games. So it was fun, though.”
Porter, 27, is having the best season of his career as he’s averaging 25.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 49.5% from the field and 40.8% from three-point land. However, prior to this season that could result in Porter earning his first All-Star appearance, the Nuggets traded him, along with their 2032 first-round pick, to the Nets in exchange for forward Cam Johnson, who was coming off a career year of his own.
What makes Porter’s performance against the Nuggets more impressive than usual was because he missed Brooklyn’s last two games heading into Sunday with an illness. While Porter was initially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Denver, it seems that he was going to find a way to play against his former team, especially if what head coach Jordi Fernandez said prior to the matchup is any indication of Porter’s mindset.