Even clumsy, Michael Porter Jr. had weighed on the first round of these Finals with 14 points and especially 13 rebounds, without forgetting his two counterattacks, proving that he had one of the keys to the series in his hands.
Except that he then missed Game 2, with only 5 points and 6 rebounds on his clock. At 2/8 in shooting and the worst +/of the match (-15), he did not exist in this meeting. How to explain such a voltage drop?
“I think the intensity and the energy weren’t there, for me and for the team”he answers at a press conference. “We talked about the mistakes made in defense, but basically, it’s above all about intensity. The most important thing is communication because it’s a strong team up front, so it has to be on point. Our absences in defense offer open shots. »
Why doesn’t he punish Gabe Vincent?
Mike Malone has already complained at length about the lack of concentration of his players in this narrow defeat. But that also doesn’t explain Michael Porter Jr.’s 3/17 3-pointer since the start of this series. He who was however 40% successful in this exercise since the start of the playoffs…
“I have to play with energy, making the effort and finding easy baskets, either by cutting, or in transition, or by getting closer to the circle, with my height”, does he mention as solutions to score despite his clumsiness. “I’m not going to continue to miss so many award-winning shots. I have to keep faith and, if it doesn’t fall into it, find another way to help the team. »
Getting closer to the circle can be a good solution. Especially since the winger sometimes has a player smaller than him on his back, Gabe Vincent for example. Why not punish this Miami defense and take full advantage of this duel, as Aaron Gordon did so well in the first minutes of Game 1?
“It’s part of the sacrifices we have to make in this team, because there are times when some have a mismatch but the attack we play then is not that one”, justifies Michael Porter Jr. “In transition, we can try to take advantage of this advantageous duel. If Vincent defends on me, it’s obvious that I think I have to have the ball to score. But that’s not necessarily what the team has to do, nor what we’ve done since the start of the season. So if you have to discard the game, even if I have a mismatch, then you have to discard the game.
| Michael Porter, Jr. | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2019-20 | DEN | 55 | 16 | 50.9 | 42.2 | 83.3 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 9.3 |
| 2020-21 | DEN | 61 | 31 | 54.2 | 44.5 | 79.1 | 1.5 | 5.8 | 7.3 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 19.1 |
| 2021-22 | DEN | 9 | 30 | 35.9 | 20.8 | 55.6 | 1.0 | 5.6 | 6.6 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 9.9 |
| 2022-23 | DEN | 62 | 29 | 48.7 | 41.4 | 80.0 | 1.0 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 17.4 |
| Total | 187 | 26 | 50.6 | 41.7 | 79.7 | 1.2 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 15.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
