Michael Porter Jr. is a mismatch nightmare and he knows it

Michael Porter Jr.’s regular season debut was worth the wait.

After four games out of Denver’s rotation, Porter played 21 minutes off the bench in the Nuggets’ 122-107 loss Thursday and finished with 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting and four rebounds.

It was an embarrassing defeat for the Nuggets but a memorable debut for Porter. Here are 10 thoughts on his performance and Nuggets’ small forward position.

1. Michael Malone said on local radio station Altitude 92.5 earlier this week that eventually he “had to find minutes for Michael Porter Jr.” who hadn’t seen the floor through four regular season games but also that Denver was 3-1 and playing “great defense.” In short, the Nuggets (at full health) didn’t have minutes available to Porter, who had struggled defensively at times in the preseason, at this juncture in the year.

2. A little over 24 hours after his comments, Malone’s tune was forced to change. Nuggets starting small forward Will Barton’s status for Thursday night’s matchup in New Orleans was up in the air meaning Porter could be in line for his first regular season minutes.

3. Porter didn’t have to wait long once the Nuggets and Pelicans tipped off. He checked in at the 4:08 mark of the first, subbing for Torrey Craig who took Barton’s place in the starting lineup. Porter played his first minutes alongside Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Jerami Grant and Nikola Jokic, a versatile lineup with tons of length, athleticism, and playmaking. Count yours truly as a big fan of this look. Offensively, that group has five capable shooters which means spacing galore for Jokic, Grant, and cutters around the basket. Grant, who probably should be paired often with Porter, can help clean up some of the rookie’s mistakes on the defensive end of the floor.

Check out this spacing on Porter’s first possession where Jokic found Murray on a cut.

4. As was the case throughout the preseason, Porter wasn’t afraid to look for his own offense Thursday. He got up eight shot attempts in 21 minutes, three of which came from distance. As long as Porter’s taking good shots within Denver’s offense, which he mostly did against the Pelicans, I think it’s a positive sign that he’s not shy about letting it fly on the offensive end.

Porter didn’t shoot it well from 3 in the preseason knocking in just one of his seven attempts, but this pull-up 3 from the top of the arc was as smooth as butter.

5. Porter’s natural scoring ability is always what’s made him a special player. There were steady rumblings coming out of Denver’s open gyms this past summer that the forward was slowly but surely rediscovering his offensive prowess following multiple back surgeries, and it’s become clear most of that chatter was legitimate. He still has that scoring gene.

Like….come on

6. At 6-foot-10, Porter is a mismatch nightmare. He’s too big for threes and too quick for fours. He knows it too. Porter is already looking to post-up smaller defenders when he gets the chance and it’s looking like his back-to-the-basket game will be a large part of a deep offensive repertoire going forward. J.J. Redick stood no chance here.

Porter also seems willing to play in the post as he should. At his size he’ll be able to rise up over most wings that are guarding him when he’s on the block or in the mid-post.

Earlier he blew by the much smaller and quicker Josh Hart for his first regular season basket.

7. Of course, Porter still has a ways to go defensively as most rookies do. He jumped at shot-fakes and was slow to react when defending the pick-and-roll. After a first half where Porter avoided any glaring defensive miscues, New Orleans began to target him in the third quarter.

NBA defense takes thousands and thousands of reps to master. No one’s expecting Porter to be an above average defender this season, but it’s also the part of his game that’s kept him off the floor in favor of the more defensively-able Craig in Denver’s first four games. Porter will have to continue to improve defensively if he wants to earn regular minutes.

8. On that note, Porter’s debut came alongside a fairly pedestrian effort from Craig, which provides a fascinating subplot of its own. Craig, who’s just ahead of Porter on Denver’s depth chart at small forward, is shooting 2 of 11 from 3 early on this season and has misfired on his last eight long-range attempts after knocking down two triples in the Nuggets’ season opening win over the Trail Blazers. The Pelicans weren’t too concerned with Craig hoisting from beyond the arc.

Craig wasn’t great defensively either Thursday. Brandon Ingram beat him down the floor off a made Nuggets free-throw in the first half which pretty much encapsulated Denver’s defensive struggles on the evening. The Pelicans shot 53.2% from the floor and 45.5% from 3.

9. Porter finished with a team-high 15 points in his first regular season game. Most of his baskets came in the fourth quarter once the game was already decided but New Orleans still had most of its regulars playing.

10. It was an encouraging debut for Porter on the heels of a strong preseason, but will it lead to more meaningful minutes? Barton (left toe inflammation) won’t be sidelined for too long, and Malone’s trust in Craig’s defense isn’t likely to wane just five games into the season.

With No. 1 pick Zion Williamson watching in street clothes from the Pelicans’ sideline, Porter looked calm, cool and collected, and dazzled with his offensive prowess and shot-making. It’s going to be difficult keeping him off the floor for much longer.