"He ain't skip a beat": Three thoughts on Michael Porter Jr.'s statement game

Three thoughts on Michael Porter Jr,’s statement game, a 30-point eight-rebound effort in the Nuggets’ 117-113 win over the Mavs Monday night. Denver is on a four-game winning streak and has won three in a row since Porter returned to the lineup Jan. 22 in Phoenix.

His talent always pops

Throughout his time in a Nuggets’ jersey, Michael Porter Jr.’s talent has always popped no matter if he played five or 25 minutes. But coming back from a three-week absence where Porter didn’t play or practice with Denver due to COVID protocols, I was expecting some natural speed bumps even on the offensive end of the floor where Porter has always shined.

It’s been a smooth ride since Porter reentered the lineup last Friday.

“He ain’t skip a beat,” JaMychal Green said following the Nuggets’117-113 win over the Mavs Monday night. “I don’t know if he’s got a gym at his own house or whatever.”

Porter indicated last week that the time he spent away from the Nuggets involved very little basketball and a lot of “chillin’ and watching Netflix.” You wouldn’t have known that if you watched Porter in any of his three games back. Porter’s shooting 18-34 (53%) from the field and 10-18 (55.6%) from three over his last three appearances. Against the Mavs, Porter finished with a team-high 30 points (10-18 FG’s, 6-10 3FG’s) to go with eight rebounds and two steals.

After Jamal Murray was ejected at the 4:51 mark of the third, Porter subbed in 30 seconds later, played out the remainder of the game, and scored 18 of Denver’s final 37 points over the rest of the third and fourth quarters in 16:28 of playing time.

“I’m really confident in him taking any shot,” Nikola Jokic said. “Not just the last shot. Whatever shot he took I feel like it’s going in.”

Porter scored eight of the Nuggets’ final 13 points over the final 3 1/2 minutes of regulation including this dagger three + *chef’s kiss* that finished the Mavs.

“I definitely don’t back away from the moment,” said Porter. “I’m just as confident when there’s two minutes left on the clock as when there’s 20 minutes. Sometimes you miss those shots. Sometimes you make them.”

Like Green said, Porter’s offensive game really hasn’t skipped a beat. He looked like Klay Thompson at times Monday, bounding around the perimeter until Jokic or a Nuggets teammate found him at the ready.

This “improvised” bailout three isn’t the type of shot you’re supposed to hit after three weeks off.

This is just pure talent and skill. And guts.

Porter earned high praise from his coach for staying ready even while away from the team.

“One thing I respect about Michael the most. He has a huge passion for the game of basketball,” Malone said “And for him to be out as long as he’s been out, and come in and play the way he played tonight is a testament to him staying ready.”

Porter has been a great fit on the second unit since returning

Porter started the season as Denver’s starting small forward but has come off the bench in the three games since his return. It sounds like that’s where he could stay for at least the time being (more on that later), partly because of how well that unit’s vibing with one another.

With no PJ Dozier, who left the game for good in the first half with a hamstring injury, Malone promoted rookie RJ Hampton to the second unit to start the fourth quarter. A Hampton-Porter-Monte Morris-Facu Campazzo-JaMychal Green lineup then outscored the Mavs 12-6 over the first six minutes of the fourth to turn what was a two-point Nuggets’ deficit into a four-point lead. From there, Denver handed things over to its starters — and Porter — to finish the job.

Porter has maintained that since returning to action, he’s simply trying to fit into the Nuggets’ offense. He had two nice off-ball cuts in the first half that backed up that claim. One came while playing with the second unit and the other was off a nice feed from Jokic.

“My whole mindset just since I’ve started playing is just to contribute anyway I can,” Porter said Monday. “Coming back into the rotation after being out so long, that was my mindset. We’ve been playing pretty good and I just wanted to come in and help the team anyway I could.

“Will was playing really good at the three and I didn’t want to mess anything up. So I just wanted to come in and give a spark off the bench, and now me and those guys have really developed a chemistry.”

Playing Porter primarily with the second unit allows him to be higher up on the offensive pecking order than he’d be alongside Jokic, Murray and Denver’s starters. Off the bench, he can play next to two natural facilitating point guards in Morris and Campazzo who can hit Porter in his sweet spots.

Porter also logged 14 of his 34 minutes Monday alongside Jokic, 20 alongside Green, and Denver played the Porter-Green-Jokic front court six minutes together against the Mavs.

“I just love the energy he plays with,” Porter said of Green. “We both play with kind of that same aggression and energy (when rebounding). I love playing with another guy like that, who just crashes the boards, who helps give us second-chance (points). And I just love playing with high energy dudes. He can shoot it, I can shoot it. We’re pretty much interchangeable out on the court. It’s just been fun, and he’s way better than I thought he was.”

No matter who he plays with, Porter will still highjack possessions like he did with this second-quarter contested three. Those are still part of the MPJ experience and quite frankly might always be.

Does it matter who starts?

According to Malone, no.

“Everybody gets caught up in who starts,” he said Monday night while discussing the impact Porter made off the bench against the Mavs. “That’s such a big thing for everybody. I don’t really understand it. If you have a chance to close the game thats more important than hearing your name before a game in an arena with no fans. But anyways, I digress.”

Porter has come off the bench in all three games since returning to the lineup, but has also closed two of Denver’s last three wins. He played all 12 fourth-quarter minutes in Dallas. In Denver’s double-OT win in Phoenix on Saturday, Porter played 10 minutes in the fourth and practically the entire first and second overtimes. He didn’t close the fourth quarter or play in OT last Friday against the Suns, but that was Porter’s first game back after a 10-game absence.

So Porter’s closing games, which is great for his development. Malone trusting him in high-leverage situations — on both ends of the floor — will pay massive dividends for the 22-year-old going forward. Porter also sounds like he’s buying into whatever role he’s being asked to play.

“My teammates just do a good job of finding me. We’re such an unselfish team,” Porter said. “… Some nights it will be my night. Some nights it will be other people’s night.”

Porter will likely eventually regain his starting spot at some point this season. And he should. Porter was the starter coming out of training camp after all. But as long as Denver’s winning and continues to win, you can make the case that there’s no need to rock the boat right now.