Michael Porter Jr. is proving his detractors wrong following his trade to the Brooklyn Nets. The 27-year-old has turned in a career-best start with the rebuilding squad. His most recent four-game stretch put him in rarified air.
With his 34-point performance on Friday in Dallas, Porter Jr. became the first forward in NBA history to score 30 points with five made threes in four straight games. Only five other players have ever managed the feat: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Anthony Edwards and Gary Trent Jr.
Following years in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray’s shadows with Denver, Porter Jr. has thrived in a lead role with the Nets.
Michael Porter Jr. joins elite company amid career-best start with Nets
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The 6-foot-10 sharpshooter’s off-ball movement has been the focal point of Brooklyn’s offense. Despite posting career-high usage, he’s maintained his high-level efficiency as a No. 1 option.
Porter Jr. has averaged 25.6 points and 3.2 assists on .497/.399/.813 shooting splits. He’s one of five players averaging at least 25 points on over 49 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent from three, alongside Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Nets forward’s red-hot start placed him alongside another all-time great scorer in the record books.
Porter Jr. and Kevin Durant are the only players in NBA history to score 525 points on over 50 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from three across their first 20 games with a team, according to OptaSTATS. Durant accomplished the feat with three different teams (Nets, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns.