Michael Porter Jr.'s sacrifice is paying off

Patience. It’s the key to Michael Porter Jr.’s offensive game.

Take this third-quarter possession from the Nuggets’ 146-112 win over the Timberwolves for example.

As Nikola Jokic set a pindown screen for Porter on the right wing, the Nuggets’ forward took his time getting into the action. Porter identified that his defender was trailing him. Then he curled around Jokic’s right shoulder and received a perfectly placed feed from Bruce Brown. Porter took one dribble and out-muscled the help-side defense for a tough, in-traffic bucket and two of his game-high 30 points Tuesday night.

“That was just a really mature basketball play,” Michael Malone said.

Plays like that Porter bucket epitomize just how far the 24-year-old’s game has come. With Jokic parading towards his third-straight MVP, Jamal Muray rediscovering his pre-ACL form and Aaron Gordon turning into the perfect Jokic Ball role player, how Porter has refined his game has been a background story to this season. But it deserves headlines. It’s been that impressive and is vital to the Nuggets’ championship hopes this year.

Porter is playing with the quiet confidence of someone who’s never been more comfortable in their role than they are now. He finally looks like a player who now knows exactly what’s being asked of him every night. Porter’s offensive game has a patient rhythm to it that’s been absent in years past. The game has slowed way down for him. Porter’s playing under control. He’s taking what the defense gives him on every possession. He’s not forcing the issue. Most of all, he’s playing his part. That’s the key here.

“I’ve mentioned this to him before, that even when he’s not scoring, there’s so much attention on him,” Vlatko Cancar, who’s been in Denver since Porter’s rookie season, told DNVR. “That just helps the team a lot. Now, we’re going into games and people are trying to guard us, and it’s hard when you have three elite scorers.”

Remember when Porter entered the NBA? Here was this naturally gifted, 1-on-1 bucket-getter and scoring machine who could put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the floor. Porter was the No. 1 option on every team he had ever played on, but had two choices when he arrived in Denver: Either adapt his game and fit in alongside two stars and All-NBA offensive talents in Jokic and Jamal Murray or eventually wind up with another franchise.

We all remember the rocky moments. As a rookie, Porter averaged 16.4 minutes per game and couldn’t jump Torrey Craig in the Nuggets’ rotation. He had an incredibly short leash. A single defensive mistake or low-efficiency shot could land Porter back on the bench. He was so clearly in Malone’s doghouse for significant portions of the last couple of seasons.

But you have to give Porter so much credit for how he responded. Defense has never been Porter’s forte, but he started to care. He started to give more and more effort on that end of the floor. He slowly but surely has improved. Porter has made it known to his teammates and coaches that he doesn’t want to be the target that opposing offenses single out and try to exploit. He’s worked hard to become less and less of a liability.

On offense, Porter gradually tweaked his game to fit better with Jokic, Murray and the Nuggets’ offense. He now lets the ball come to him. If Porter doesn’t have it, he’ll set a screen or cut instead of standing at the 3-point line like he used to. He knows the ball will find him if he plays the right way. On the season, Porter’s averaging 16.9 points (48.9 FG%, 41.4 3P%), 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

He’s been an invaluable third option on what’s statistically the best offense in NBA history.

“I just had to figure out how to play with these guys,” said Porter. “Now that I do, I’m trying to sacrifice. I think a lot of guys have to sacrifice to play on a winning team. KCP, for example, if you catch him in an open run in the summer, he’s doing some stuff that he would never do offensively within our system because he’s trying to sacrifice and play a role here.”

He’s still flashing the same elite offensive efficiency that he has throughout his career, but Porter’s game now has so much more poise to it. He’s gradually gained a greater understanding of his purpose in the Nuggets’ offense.

“I think early on he didn’t really know where he was going to get his offense,” Murray said of Porter. “He was just out there and out of rhythm. Now, him getting pin-downs, getting good looks early, and we’re running plays for him, he’s in rhythm. When he’s spacing the floor, he knows that when we go pick-and-roll that he’s going to be open. He’s just finding his spots better and being more patient. And the ball’s coming to him and he’s making the most of it.”

That mindset has earned Porter even more respect within the Nuggets’ locker room, according to sources close to the team. Porter buying into the role that Denver needs him to this season is something that’s been admired and acknowledged by the Nuggets’ core. His commitment to improving his defense has been appreciated by his teammates too. Porter checking his ego at the door, fitting into the Nuggets’ system, and doing what needs to be done in order for Denver to win a championship this season has sat extremely well with his teammates. That sacrifice has meant a lot to this team’s key figures.

“I think Michael has really matured and grown on both ends of the floor,” said Malone.

Another sign of Porter’s growth? Real-time acknowledgment of his miscues. When Porter forces an unnecessary shot or slips back into bad habits, he’s now the first to call out his own slip-ups.

“He had a couple of possession where he was kind of forcing it, but he knew it right away,” Jokic said Tuesday. “When we were running back he told us, ‘My bad, guys.’ That’s a good thing that you recognize it.”

There are so many situations in the NBA where Porter could be averaging 25+ points per game. On a different team, Porter could be that same go-to offensive option on every play like he was before arriving in Denver and have full reign over a team’s offensive game plan. He’ll never have that with the Nuggets.

But Porter has bought into the larger goal. The individual scoring averages don’t mean as much to him as they used to. He’s all about winning now. On a team with championship aspirations, Porter is committed to filling his role. He’s simply doing what the Nuggets need him to do to reach their final destination.

“We as a team are always looking at the bigger goal, and he knew that from the get-go this season,” Cancar told DNVR. “He’s adapting. He’s learning. He’s still young, and there are many more miles in shoes.”