Welcome to the year of Michael Porter Jr.

Eight dribbles. That’s all Michael Porter Jr. needed.

If you find yourself reviewing tape from the Porter’s August run inside the NBA bubble, an eight-game pre-playoff stretch that landed him on the NBA’s All-Seeding Game’s Second Team, focus in on Denver’s Aug. 3 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. On that day, Porter tallied 37 points on a pristine 12-16 shooting. On the 12 possessions that ended in a Porter basket, the 22-year-old dribbled the ball a total of eight times.

It was a combination of output and efficiency that has only been matched by the Nuggets’ two franchise pillars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray on a few rare occasions. Jokic has scored 35 points or more on at least 70% shooting four times as a Nugget. Murray has done it thrice. Obviously, neither did it as a rookie.

Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and general manager Calvin Booth were sitting courtside that day in Orlando when Porter went for his career-high against a group of first-rate defenders including Chris Paul, Steven Adams, Luguentz Dort and Andre Roberson. Not bad. Denver’s top brass also sat within earshot of Porter when he went for 30 two nights later against the Spurs and then 27 points 48 hours after that versus the Blazers.

Those bubble performances surely weren’t the first times when Denver’s key decision makers thought that Porter could be the real deal. That belief was likely hatched in closed-door 5-on-5 runs during the summer of 2019 and back in January of last season when Porter scored in double-figures in nine of 10-straight games. But at the very least, Porter’s run in the bubble gave credence to the idea that him making a leap in year two provided the Nuggets with their best chance of keeping pace with the Western Conference’s best.

It definitely seemed like the Nuggets rearranged their roster this summer with that thought in mind. Denver rightfully withheld Porter in trade talks for Jrue Holiday. Then, when the Nuggets lost Jerami Grant in free agency, Denver didn’t jump to retain Torrey Craig who last season was Porter’s main gatekeeper to more minutes at small forward.

The Nuggets could have afforded to bring back Craig, a sturdy defensive option at the wing. But after Denver made two first-round picks on draft night and Grant bolted to Detroit two days later, management felt it needed to balance the roster by signing a true backup center in Isaiah Hartenstein. Here’s an additional theory to Craig’s departure: the Nuggets’ simply did not want to place any more potential road blocks between Porter and playing time this year.

Porter will get his chance in a full-time role. He’s going to be elevated to Denver’s starting lineup to begin this season, per multiple league sources. Thus, there will be a spotlight on how his chemistry with Jokic and Murray develops throughout the year. The Nuggets have a 72-game regular season to make sure that trio gels.

Denver needs the Jokic-Murray-Porter triumvirate to vibe in order to avoid a repeat of last year’s Western Conference Finals. No, that group doesn’t include an Anthony Davis stopper, and Denver didn’t acquire one this offseason although JaMychal Green is another strong, physical body the Nuggets can throw Davis’ way. But with Porter as Jokic and Murray’s top running mate, Denver could have enough offensive firepower to keep up with the LeBron-Davis dyad. When push came to shove last season against the Lakers, the Nuggets didn’t have that reliable third option.

Will Barton missed the Nuggets’ entire playoff run and could also provide a steady dose of offensive relief. Based off what Barton did last regular season, he could have been the quintessential third playmaker against the Lakers. While Barton has made significant progress rehabbing the injury that forced him to leave the bubble back in August, the shortened offseason has cast some doubt over how reliable of an option he’ll be at the beginning of the year.

Porter is the Nuggets’ best hope to fill that role this season and into the future. Last year he showed what he can do with starter-level minutes. In the 11 regular season games where Porter logged at least 25 minutes last season, he averaged 21 points. In the seven playoff games where Porter crossed that minutes threshold, he averaged 14 points per contest.

The other side of the floor is a different story. He’ll have to grow as a defender. Based on defensive improvements that Jokic and Murray have shown under Michael Malone, Wes Unseld Jr. and Denver’s coaching staff, there’s hope there. Porter is already an elite rebounder too.

Is that too much pressure for Porter heading into his second NBA season? Contenders don’t typically rely on players as green as him for that substantial of a role. Knowing Porter, he’ll welcome the challenge, the pressure and the expectations that come with it. After all, his no-hesitation, contested, Game 5 dagger three with 11 seconds left on the shot clock and Denver clinging to a two-point lead was only three months ago. That’s a potentially career-shaping shot that most players regardless of their experience don’t even think about attempting.

He can absolutely be the fulcrum of a dynamic second unit, but for Denver to reach its potential this season Porter has to get comfortable playing alongside Jokic and Murray. It’s a two-way street too. Denver’s two stars will need to recognize that Porter is their best ally in their pursuit of another Western Conference Finals run.

Here’s what else I’m watching for as Training Camp opens Tuesday…

Who is Denver’s starting shooting guard?

I’m penciling in Paul Millsap at the power forward position alongside Porter, Jokic and Murray in the Nuggets’ starting lineup. But who takes the last available starting spot, Gary Harris or Will Barton? This could be one of the more difficult roster decision Michael Malone has had to make in his Nuggets tenure.

These aren’t two young, up-and-coming players jostling for a starting spot. Harris and Barton are the Nuggets’ two longest-tenured players. If Barton’s health is a real question mark heading into the season, the choice becomes a lot easier. For that reason, I think Harris opens the season as Denver’s starting two.

Campazzo, Morris and the second unit

I wasn’t expecting the Nuggets to add a rotation-level point guard in free agency with Monte Morris still under contract and PJ Dozier seemingly waiting in the wings. But in search of more creation ability in the backcourt Denver signed Argentinian point guard Facundo Campazzo, a dynamic and imaginative creator who’s pretty much a 5-11 version of Jokic. The 29-year-old has elite vision and passing ability, isn’t the fastest guy end-to-end but is quick off the dribble and a capable three-point shooter who converted on 38% of his triples a season ago.

My read is that Campazzo will team with Morris in the backcourt to give Denver two pick-and-roll ball handlers playing alongside JaMychal Green, Isaiah Hartenstein and a wing to be named later on the Nuggets’ second unit.

Who’s in an who’s out of the rotation?

Jokic, Murray, Porter, Millsap, Barton, Harris, Morris, and newcomer JaMychal Green are locks to open the season in Denver’s rotation, health permitting of course. Campazzo, who was averaging nearly 25 minutes per game for one of Europe’s best teams in Real Madrid this season, should also get steady minutes.

With the Nuggets’ penchant to play four traditional big men and no Mason Plumlee on the roster, Hartenstein is likely looking at rotation minutes as well. That’s already 10 names. Bol Bol and two-way rookie Greg Whittington will also get their chances to compete for backup minutes at both forward spots.