Built Different: Appreciating Michael Porter Jr., Nugget Forever
Respecting a champion as he departs for the next chapter.
Michael Porter Jr. is built different.
That meme is used to describe being tougher, stronger, more talented. Made of better stuff.
But the thing with MPJ was that he’s built different because he has the discipline and passion for the game to resist all the things that set players like him down paths of irrelevance.
Do you know how many players with MPJ’s pedigree have refused to fit in? Have refused to accept their role? Every player in the NBA is so talented, and most of them have always been the best player on their teams, treated like gods before they arrive in the league.
Porter was a prolific high school prospect, averaging 36 points and 13 rebounds per game, and was named the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. If not for his back surgery at Missouri, he would have been a top-five pick, easily.
Porter slid on draft night because of those back concerns. His medical red flag was so scary that two people close to Western Conference teams told me that they would not have drafted him, regardless of the spot he was available at, because of the back concerns.
Those concerns weren’t even proven wrong. Porter suffered another back injury and needed another surgery in 2021. There were rampant concerns about his long-term health.
And yet, since his return from surgery, Porter has played in 266 of 292 games, 91% of all games. And he knows it. Porter played through injuries that would have been impossible for some players. In these last playoffs, Porter’s shoulder sprain was so severe that he needed help after the game taking his jersey off.
Porter was always so proud when he spoke of what it took for him to be as available as he has been. He put the work in, because he loves basketball.
THE LEARNING CURVE
It wasn’t just the physical side that was the challenge, though.
Porter in those early years was like a grenade. You could chuck him into the enemy trench and there would be an explosion. You couldn’t control exactly where or when, but it would go off.
The problem was that the Nuggets needed him to be a blowtorch. They could never afford to just let Porter work through the mistakes. He was drafted into a playoff team looking to make the leap to contender.
Fans rioted when Malone would yank him. He was so talented! Look at the shooting!
But the objective was that in the long run, he’d learn the accountability to play within what the team needed from him, how to play through and around Nikola.
It’s not fair and his supporters would say he never needed that level of oversight.
But there were also so many times when it was clear he still didn’t understand how to play 5-on-5 in the NBA.
He didn’t understand how to make the reads the way the rest of the offense needed him to. He didn’t have the focus on defense.
Go back and watch Joker’s body language from time to time in his minutes, even on made shots.
Here’s the thing, though. When Porter was asked about his game, or what he needed, or what he wanted, he said the same thing over and over.
“I just want to win and help the team.”
Everyone says that in the NBA. Not everyone backs it up. And even fewer are willing to look in the mirror, swallow their pride built on so much success in their life, and really adapt.
But Porter did. He ran to the corners. He made multiple efforts. He focused on the mental side. He caught up on the offense. He rebounded. He didn’t complain, even when he would fade in the games after defenses adapted.
The Nuggets don’t defeat the Lakers without Porter. He was a monster vs. the Lakers over the last three years.
Porter’s arc was fascinating. He was too good not to play early, and too inconsistent with too many holes in his understanding of the game to rely on. It took him years of honing those elements to match what his highlights looked like.
Every time he’d reach a frustration point, the conversation would start among Nuggets fans of whether they should trade him. You could see the difficulties he had in keeping up and on the defensive side, especially with his focus, but I always returned to the same saying.
“You can’t trade a 6-10, 50-40-90 shooter. You just can’t do it until you’re sure of the limit of what he’s capable of.”
I don’t know if Denver ever really found that limit. Porter’s injuries meant he missed crucial time to work on his floor game. The Nuggets’ need for him to draw within the lines meant that he couldn’t work on it in-season. There just wasn’t a chance for him to really fill out what he was capable of.
He’s hoping for that chance in Brooklyn, and for the most part, Nuggets fans hope for the same.
THE GENUINE ARTICLE
The most surprising thing about covering Mike was how genuine he is.
Mike was a rare player who actually would respond to questions about criticism of his game.
As a media member, you’re never like “So Mike, you sucked today.”
Each of is patently aware we could never do what these players can. But you do have to ask questions like “It seemed like a struggle today on the defensive end, what went into that?” or “Was today a case of just missing shots or was there something the defense did to take away good looks?”
A lot of players1 balk at these questions and consider it ridiculous that any mortals would dare ask them about it.
Mike, however, was always really insightful, offering genuine self-criticism while redirecting us when we were off base. If he just missed shots, he’d say so. If the defense adapted, he’d say so. If he was struggling to find how to be aggressive, he’d say so.
Porter would often say things that seemed too honest. And he did have times when you could tell he was frustrated at being benched in-game or late in games. Because he wanted to compete.
Porter never talked about what he was capable of on a different team, at least not publicly. He never suggested he was frozen out. He was always complimentary of teammates and would comment that certain decisions were up to the coaching staff.
Porter was the example that other veterans would use with younger players bucking at their role.
“If Mike is willing to sacrifice like he has, why aren’t you?” was how one assistant coach described the dynamic.
Porter endured a lot of tragedy in the last few years. One brother imprisoned for vehicular manslaughter, another implicated in a federal gambling investigation.
Porter continued to play and produce.
FOREVER DENVER
Porter was as classy as he could be in this video. There’s no hard feelings. He’s excited for the next chapter. He’s ready to move on. He accepts the business. The fact that his only regret is that his season ended with bad performances because he could not lift his arm over his head is indicative of the kind of player he’s been.
I don’t know Michael Porter, the person, I don’t think media ever really gets to know players because of the dynamic between them.
But I have nothing but the best things to say about Porter, who had every reason to carry with him an entitlement with him, and instead brought with him nothing but professionalism, competitiveness, and sacrifice.
That’s who Michael Porter Jr. was as a Nugget.
Many of them named Jamal Murray