Michael Porter Jr. now faces the toughest test yet of his breakout season

It has been a season of tests for Michael Porter Jr.

First, he was tasked with molding his offensive game to fit around arguably the best two-man game in the NBA and two elite scoring options in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Porter did that perfectly. Next, he was required to carry a heavier offensive burden after Murray was lost for the season. Porter promptly averaged 25.6 points on 57.2% shooting and 51.3% from three-point range across the Nuggets’ first 10 games without their starting point guard.

Porter is now facing the toughest test yet of his breakout sophomore campaign. He’s firmly on line No. 1 of opponent scoring reports and ramping up for a postseason where the defense’s primary objective will be to limit his offensive production. Because of how many scoring options the Nuggets are down — they lost another one in PJ Dozier Monday — defenses know that if they limit Porter they can limit Denver’s offense.

The Nuggets just have nowhere else to turn if Porter isn’t in rhythm.

“They’re game-planning for him,” Malone said of the Lakers’ defense against Porter. “They’re throwing different bodies at him. Being very physical, and it’s great because experience is the greatest teacher that we all have. And he’s going to figure out ways to get open. We can help him and he has to help himself obviously.”

Porter struggled throughout Monday’s first half against a Laker defense that’s still the No. 1 rated defense in the NBA despite the fact that LeBron James and Anthony Davis have missed huge chunks of the season. The Lakers shadowed Porter with three defenders — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma, who’s a much-improved defender this season — and did an expert job of staying connected to Porter as he rubbed off screens and cut to the basket. They didn’t let him breathe in the half-court.

The Nuggets tried to get Porter going. These were two possessions within a minute of each other in the second quarter. Kuzma did a good job denying Porter here early on in the possession.

When Porter caught the ball in the paint on Denver’s next half-court possession, he could have risen up immediately. But Kuzma was right in his hip pocket. When he hesitated, Andre Drummond closed in for the double-team.

The Lakers’ defense and physicality definitely affected Porter. I felt like it took him out of the game a bit too. Porter collected zero first-half rebounds — he’s only finished a first half without a rebound twice this season and both of those games have been against the Lakers — and just seemed a bit frustrated. Porter went into halftime with just three points on 1-4 shooting.

He got going a bit after the break and tallied seven points on 3-6 shooting in the third. Porter made an effort to get on the glass too and hauled in five rebounds in the quarter. But the Laker defense still made him work.

This was one of Porter’s better looks of the night, which is saying something because Caldwell-Pope stays with Porter the whole possession and Drummond even shows a bit late.

Two minutes later, Porter gets Kuzma switched off of him, but hello Davis.

Porter had a strong fourth quarter too, finishing with nine points on 4-5 shooting in the period. He found some open seams in the Lakers’ defense, kept moving in the half-court and got out in transition. Porter showed resolve throughout the second half too and turned his night around after an ugly first two quarters. It was one of the few silver linings to emerge from Monday’s loss.

This was my favorite Porter basket of the fourth. He went strong to the rim and absorbed contact from Kuzma.

Porter’s going to encounter more defensive gameplans like he saw Monday in the playoffs. He’s going to have the full and undivided attention of the defense from the moment he steps on the floor. The formula to beat Denver now is fairly simple: shut down Porter and the Nuggets are probably going to struggle offensively even if Jokic goes for 30-plus.

As a team, Denver shot 6-25 from three against the Lakers. It was the Nuggets’ third-worst shooting performance of the season. Porter went 2-7 from distance and Jokic, Dozier, Aaron Gordon, Facu Campazzo, Austin Rivers, JaMychal Green and Shaq Harrison combined to shoot 4-17 from beyond the arc.

It’s another test for Porter at the tail end of what has already been a revealing sophomore campaign. Porter has conquered the tests he’s faced so far, but this is his toughest and most challenging one yet.