Signed at maximum pay a year ago, Michael Porter Jr., is one of the “comeback players”, and like most players who return to competition, he has not yet returned to his best level. Irregular, he is not yet this player capable of carrying the Nuggets attack, especially when Nikola Jokic is absent as has been the case in recent days.
After his 31 points against the Bulls, he followed up with two poor performances against New York and Dallas with a total of 15 points on 5 of 23 on shots. All for two losses… because the Denver winger does not manage to compensate for an evening without shooting, with a defensive contribution, or activity in the other sectors of the game.
“For me, attack should be on autopilot” Porter believes. “I should focus on the intangibles, defending, rebounding, dirty work… And all of that involves you in the game. When you’re struggling on offense and not rebounding or defending, what’s the point of being on the court? »
“In our game, passing is king. The ball circulates, and everyone benefits”
Even if his coach is well aware that his winger ” may never be Scottie Pippen“, he praises his progress in defense, but he sees another site to take another step. “I’ve seen multiple examples this year of his commitment and progression,” Malone admits. “In attack, he is a young man who has had the ball in his hands for years. He was the first option. In our team, it’s not him. In our game, passing is king. The ball circulates, and everyone benefits. Michael is really starting to understand the importance of playing off the ball, passing and cutting, spacing play properly. »
The game without the ball is therefore an axis of progress, but Malone sees another: limiting his dependence on Nikola Jokic. “I think it highlights the value and greatness of Nikola in finding easy shots because he attracts attention and is an exceptional passer”Malone said. “When Nikola isn’t there, we have to find ways to give Michael some easy shots, and I think at the same time Michael has to help himself…whether he scores or misses, he must continue to play hard, to be competitive and to fight. »
Last night, Jokic was back against the Pistons, and Porter Jr was very active with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 assist. Except that he still hasn’t set the sights at 3-pointers, and for four games, he is 4 out of 21 from afar. This proves that its “automatic pilot” deserves to be better regulated.
| 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 | 15 | 29 | 46.6 | 43.8 | 77.8 | 1.1 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 16.3 |
| Total | 140 | 25 | 51.1 | 42.2 | 79.3 | 1.3 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 14.3 | |
