Like his teammate Nikola Jokic for example, Michael Porter Jr. has a lot of talent when it comes to having the ball in hand, attacking and scoring points, but much less when it comes to defending hard and with intensity.
As the Nuggets are ambitious and the winger is once again a starter, he can no longer afford to play only on one side of the field or settle for a few defensive rebounds. His coach expects more from him and since the start of the season, the player has fulfilled his specifications.
“I’m so proud of Michael,” affirmed Michael Malone, for the denver postafter the victory against the Thunder last weekend. “He has a lot on my back regarding his defense, but you also have to, as a coach, reward a player when he does things right, so that his confidence increases. I saw him throw himself on a ball and contest shots. »
The Denver coach is referring here to actions from the first game against Utah, during which Porter Jr.’s efforts were appreciated by his teammates. We can also think of a few one-on-one sequences against Stephen Curry a few days later.
The former Missouri obviously hasn’t become a great defender, but he does the minimum and that’s enough for Malone’s happiness.
“Will he ever be Scottie Pippen? Probably not, no. I don’t want him to become a Pippen, I want him to be the best version of himself. Right now, he’s showing me that he’s involved. He’s committed to trying and that’s all I ask. He will make mistakes, like the other players, like me, but if we give ourselves, if we try, if we make the effort, there will be no problem. Michael has made considerable progress on this side. »
| 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 | 2 | 32 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 75.0 | 1.0 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 16.0 |
| Total | 127 | 25 | 51.8 | 42.1 | 79.5 | 1.3 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 14.1 | |
