DNVR Player Grades: Michael Porter Jr. does it again

The Denver Nuggets were again without three starters — Jamal Murray (hamstring tightness), Will Barton III (knee), Gary Harris (hip) — as they took on the San Antonio Spurs in their third game of the bubble. A third straight game without three of the team’s most important players might have evoked concern. Still, Nuggets fans were mainly concerned with a potential encore performance from their supremely talented Rookie, Michael Porter Jr.

He delivered, and the Nuggets grabbed their second win in the bubble by a final score of 132-126.

After putting up a 37-point double-double on only 16 shots in game two, Porter Jr. followed that up with another gem, posting 30 points and 15 rebounds. That almost undersells his performance, considering the context under which it occurred, but we’ll touch on that later.

Porter Jr. started hot again, putting up 10 points on just three shots in roughly 3 1/2 minutes. He propelled the Nuggets to a 32-point first quarter as both offenses came out firing. Much like Game 2, MPJ served up a potential win that doesn’t happen without essential contributions from Nikola Jokić.

The Spurs erased a substantial lead late in the second quarter and carried their own into halftime. That lead would grow in the third, but Jokić stepped up, knocking down three threes on consecutive possessions for Denver. He saved the game with that stretch, and the Nuggets followed it up with 43 points in the fourth behind 14 from Jerami Grant and 12 from Porter Jr.

Five of nine active players for Denver reached double-digits in scoring, while the Spurs saw six of their players do the same. Rudy Gay led San Antonio with 24 points and presented a tough matchup for Paul Millsap, who played less than 17 minutes. But Grant helped fill the void splitting time between Small Forward and Millsap’s backup at the four. He finished with 22 points.

The Nuggets move to 2-1 in the bubble with the win, and more importantly, they can move forward knowing they have a real ace up their sleeve as they approach the postseason. Michael Porter Jr. isn’t just playable, he’s unguardable, and the post-game festivities brimmed with excitement.

In a pre-written and perhaps not entirely self-aware post-game rant, Michael Malone heaped praise on his young phenom, and singled out what he considered a disrespectful omission:

lol yo Malone ain't havin it🖐️🎤⬇️ https://t.co/oxIF5eAzLn pic.twitter.com/3dhnJwvKIQ

— RG 📷 (@RyanGreeneDNVR) August 6, 2020

In celebration of Adam Mares and George Karl’s new limited-run show, Keeping it 1000, let’s keep it a buck here too—it’s hard to play in the Rising Stars game when your head coach doesn’t play you in the actual games, but alas—water under the bridge now, it would seem. While Michael Malone gushed over MPJ in the Nuggets presser, the legendary Gregg Popovich heaped praise on Denver’s best player, Nikola Jokić.

“He’s like a reincarnation of Larry Bird,” Pop told reporters after the game. You may have seen or heard that lofty comparison from us before, but it just hits different from the mouth of one of the greatest coaches in the history of professional sports.

As if Nuggets fans didn’t have enough ammunition to carry the post-win buzz deep into the night, ‘The People’s Champ’ Will Barton III, took to twitter to give the people what they indeed wanted. He offered a rousing endorsement of the trajectory altering Rook and a called for more playing time.

MPJ is special! Ready right now! 6’10 small forward with a ratchet & a handle! Stop playing with him! Can’t be on a leash with that type ability! It’s time! Gotta let him be him! Shorty different!

— Will Barton (@WillTheThrillB5) August 5, 2020

Is Barton advocating for MPJ to take his spot? Probably not. But he wants him to take someone’s place, and he hasn’t been shy about expressing his feelings. Barton felt this way since at least December when he told me it was time to let Porter Jr. off the leash after a road loss to Philadelphia. ‘Thrill’ is a believer, and truth be said, it’s starting to look like Michael Malone is too. If you’ve watched these last two performances—how could you not be?

The hype is real, the vibes are immaculate, and the timelines are wholesome in Denver.

Let’s go to the grades.

Honor Roll

Nikola Jokić – A

Nikola Jokić is living out a fantasy. The Nuggets are winning games, he doesn’t have to break his back to get it done, and the pesky spotlight shines on his talented young teammate for the time being. Porter Jr. is the flashy new toy—not unlike found money, whereas Jok is something more of a well-stocked savings account. He’s not old news. We simply expect his greatness now.

In just under 32 minutes, Jokić scored 25 points, dished out 11 assists, grabbed four rebounds, and shot 58% from the field. As mentioned above, his three-point barrage in the third saved the day, and hopefully instilled some confidence in him. His three-pointer hasn’t been reliable this season, but he shot the lights out when it mattered most in that playoff run, so it’s particularly encouraging to see him get into a rhythm as we approach the postseason.

Found this response from Nikola Jokic on if it's easier to shoot 3s in the bubble pretty telling: "I don't know. For me it's the same. My biggest enemy is me, so no fans can affect me as much as I can affect myself."

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) August 6, 2020

Michael Porter Jr. – A

Porter Jr. became the first Nuggets rookie since Dikembe Mutumbo to score 30 points and grab 15 rebounds in the same game. He also became the first Nugget to put up back-to-back games with 30+ pts & 10+ rebs in his rookie season. He also became the first rookie to score 30, grab 15, and hit five three-pointers in NBA history. Are you sensing a theme here? This is close to unprecedented. To find the most comparable two-game sample size from a rookie, you have to go back to 1993, when Shaquille O’Neal did something similar:

Per Elias, Michael Porter, Jr. is the first rookie to score 65+ pts on 65+% FG and grab 25+ reb over a 2-game span since Shaq in 1993

— Brendan Vogt (@BrendanVogt) August 6, 2020

I’m not telling you he’s Shaq, but I am telling you he’s special.

Jerami Grant – A-

Grant scored 14 of his 22 points in the final quarter and played some intriguing minutes at the three. With the introduction of MPJ into the starting lineup, the Nuggets are a little harder to match up with, depending on the unit Malone deploys. Grant doesn’t enjoy the skillset of a traditional wing, but he’ll knock down an open shot, and he utilized his size advantage to create points out of the post—something we haven’t seen much of from him this season. There will be matchups that challenge Millsap the way Gay did in the upcoming postseason, and Grant provides some insurance as a reliable backup option. Still, perhaps we don’t necessarily have to look at this as choosing one over the other.

The Class

Monte Morris – B+

Without the missing trio of starting guards, it’s fair to wonder where the points will come from when the Nuggets don’t have MPJ or Jokić on the floor. In addition to Grant, Morris stepped up and added 19 points of his own on 61% shooting. Morris understands how to play off of, and get the ball to the best center in the game. Through that relationship, he’s able to boost his offense, and through his steady floor generalship, he fills Murray’s shoes admirably. Zero turnovers for Morris again. Nature is healing.

PJ Dozier – B+

Someone check on DLine Co., PJ ‘Composure’ had himself a game. Dozier added 12 points, eight assists, and four rebounds in about 25 minutes Wednesday, flashing something more than one might expect from a third-string guard. Dozier is a little quick on the trigger at times, and he turned it over four times against the Spurs, but he’s proving himself to be a useful player down in the bubble.

Principal’s Office

Paul Millsap – D+

Do I regret the last report card’s victory lap? I regret nothing. Tough matchup for Millsap, who is, of course, on the back nine of his career, but still has plenty to offer in the right matchup. Rather than worrying over Millsap, I’ll celebrate Grant’s contributions.