Michael Porter Jr. Shares Insight on His Health

NBA: Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers

Michael Porter Jr. has become an integral part of the Denver Nuggets squad. After dealing with injuries, being pulled for defensive lapses early in his career, and dealing with other obstacles, he has carved out a necessary role on the team. When asked about his injury history, Porter Jr. had some deep and insightful thoughts.

“For a lot of guys, that’s career-ending, one of those surgeries,” Porter said. “This is after two of them.
“I thought I had kind of gotten over everything, and now I have to get a third one? I don’t know if
anyone’s ever played—especially at my young age—after three back surgeries. “I was just over it.”

Of course, MPJ was elaborating on his nagging back issues. This was the red flag that held many teams back from drafting allowing him to slip all the way down to 14th for Denver in the 2018 NBA Draft. He also had this to say:

“All the extra work that most guys have to put in, which is a lot, I’m having to do three times that much just to be able to play,” Porter said, adding: “Basically, my whole life revolves around just trying to be able to stay healthy.”

Now, Denver is going to their first ever NBA Finals and he is the third part of a talented trio of stars.

Michael Porter Jr. Dives Into his Mindset About his Health

MPJ’s Underappreciated Season

Michael Porter Jr. has had a terrific campaign that has gone relatively overlooked. He has always been a great shooter, but his defense also took a step forward. For the regular season, he tallied 17.4 points, 5.5 total rebounds, and a three-point shooting percentage of 41.4 percent. After only playing nine games last year, his impact was welcomed as he helped lead the Nuggets to the first seed in the Western Conference. His shooting ability along with his improved scoring off the dribble gave Nikola Jokic another weapon along the perimeter. However, it will be interesting to see how MPJ performs on the biggest stage in the NBA.

Will Michael Porter Jr. be the X-Factor This NBA Finals?

We can already expect Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to be the core contributors for this series. However, Michael Porter Jr. is going to be expected to pick up some extra slack considering Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo may be matched up with Denver’s two main stars. His length and ability to stretch the defense could make all the difference in this series. Especially when one considers how well coached the Miami Heat are by Erik Spoelstra. Outside of Butler, the Heat really do not have an answer for Michael Porter. All in all, MPJ is going to be expected to step up in a huge way this series.

 


NBA Betting Guides [2023]


 

Arrow to top