How Markus Howard's roommate helped him stay ready during his rookie year

Markus Howard’s transition to the NBA was made a lot easier thanks in part to his roommate during his rookie season. It helped that Howard’s roommate also happened to be his teammate on the Nuggets.

Howard and Michael Porter Jr. first met on the hardwood. The two faced off against one another in high school and gradually built a friendship. As Porter watched the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft unfold and took stock of what players could potentially be available as undrafted free agents that Denver could add to its roster, his mind jumped to Howard. The consensus first-team All-American guard at Marquette was represented by the same agency that Porter was, Priority Sports, and the two started texting as the draft wrapped up.

“He was like, ‘I really hope we get you. It would be awesome to play together,'” Howard told DNVR in July, recounting his draft night conversation with Porter.

The Nuggets and Howard agreed to a two-way contract, shortly after the draft concluded. One month after he arrived in Denver, Porter offered the undrafted rookie a spare bedroom in his spacious house.

“We were two men of faith around the same age just trying to navigate life in the NBA,” Howard said. “It was a great opportunity for both of us, just to grow together and continue to build that friendship as teammates.”

“Every day was an adventure with that dude. I can’t lie to you. He’s one of a kind on the court, but also off the court he’s one of the most genuine people you could be around. I consider him a really good friend. There was never a dull moment in that house.”

Living with Porter helped Howard learn the ropes of the league. In Porter, Howard had a trusted confidant who had already spent two seasons in the NBA and someone he could go to for advice and bounce questions off of. Over the course of last season, Porter kept drilling home the same, simple message to his housemate: stay ready. He made it a point to tell Howard that his number would be called when he least expected it.

When the Nuggets’ backcourt was decimated by injuries just before last year’s postseason, Howard was ready. He was thrust into the Nuggets’ lineup during Denver’s first-round series against Portland and played consistent rotation minutes off the Nuggets’ bench for the first time all year. Howard held his own considering he barely played during the regular season.

The 22-year-old guard could get the chance to make an even bigger impact this coming year. The Nuggets signed Howard to another two-way deal Sunday that will keep him under contract in Denver for at least one more season.

Howard is back with the Nuggets for a number of reasons, but when I spoke with him in late July he expressed a real desire to see this process through in Denver. Howard could have been selected in the second round and had interest from teams picking in the low-mid 30s but signaled to teams that he wanted to sign with the Nuggets as an undrafted free agent. He felt a connection and bond with Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly after speaking with him a week before the draft. Additionally, the Nuggets were offering Howard more guaranteed money than rival teams, which also helped steer him to Denver.

Another factor that originally pushed Howard to the Nuggets? Denver’s history with two-way players. Monte Morris, PJ Dozier and Torrey Craig all entered the Nuggets’ organization on two-way contracts before all three eventually found their way into Denver’s rotation. Howard believed he could develop along a similar timeline and follow a similar path.

“Denver had a vision for me,” Howard told DNVR. “They had a belief in me as a player and what I could bring to the organization. The excitement that Tim and the organization had about me spoke to me more so than just hearing my name called on draft night. I just felt Denver was the place for me and I’m fortunate to work for a guy like Tim. You know he’s all about his players.”

The Nuggets roster is currently at its 15-player limit, but a roster spot could open up at some point this summer or during the season. If one does, it’s conceivable that Howard’s contract is converted based on how the Nuggets have operated in the past. Howard couldn’t compete for a roster spot at Summer League after the NBA’s health and safety protocols knocked him out of Las Vegas showcase, but the Nuggets have established a clear track record with their two-way players under Connelly. If the Nuggets believe in your talent, if you grind on the practice court, log games in the G League, and prove you’re a fit with Denver’s organizational culture, this front office will reward you.

Howard fits that mold of player and person. He has spent most of his summer on the Nuggets’ practice court working on his game with Denver’s player development staff. When Howard has been home in Arizona this offseason, he sticks to the workout regiment he’s held for the last nine years.

The 22-year-old starts his day at 4:30 or 5 a.m. alongside his father, who’s a professional strength and conditioning coach, and two brothers. Howard’s oldest brother is a basketball trainer while the middle Howard brother plays professionally in Puerto Rico. The quartet typically spends two-plus hours on the court and another hour in the weight room before the sun rises. In the afternoon, Howard goes back to the gym and shoots jumper after jumper.

He’s been locked into the offseason program the Nuggets laid out for him following last season. Denver wants Howard to expand his shooting range, improve his playmaking and ability to change speeds with the ball in his hands, and continue to understand the Nuggets’ scheme on both ends of the floor.

“One of the main things I’m doing this offseason is just continuing to immerse myself in the playbook,” Howard told DNVR. “How we run our defense, different schemes that we play against different teams. There’s been a lot of film that I’ve watched that should help me in those areas.”

Just as he was last season when Denver needed him in the playoffs, Howard will be ready this year if he’s once again called into action. Looking back, it’s still pretty remarkable how the Nuggets took care of the Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in six games without their starting backcourt. Howard logged just 205 total minutes throughout the regular season. He played 112 minutes in the playoffs and was on the court for 92 minutes against the Blazers. Denver outscored Portland by nine points when Howard was on the floor over the course of the series.

Howard doesn’t know if he would have been able to step in like he did if it wasn’t for the advice of his rookie year housemate, his teammates who supported him when he finally got his break, and Michael Malone and Denver’s coaching staff who believed in him during the most crucial point of last season.

He’s hoping for an encore performance in year two.

“I just tried to seize the moment when my number was called, but the work I put in is far from finished,” Howard told DNVR. “I’m just getting started. That’s what’s exciting. That’s what I’m looking forward to. What can I do to help this team in the future? What I can become?”