Denver Nuggets: 5 reasons Michael Porter Jr. was a good pick
By Ty Delbridge
5. High upside
If Porter were healthy, he would not have fallen to No. 14. Everyone knows that, especially the Nuggets. There is obviously some concern and worry about his injury and his ability to stay healthy for the future. At No. 14 though, it was a smart pick with a potentially high reward for the Nuggets.
Michael Porter Jr. explains why he thinks he fell to the Denver Nuggets with the 14th pick in the #NBADraft. pic.twitter.com/VgpUKYuRC9
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) June 22, 2018
If MPJ can get past this injury and stay healthy, the Nuggets are getting the biggest steal of the draft. He is a confident basketball player with all the tools to be a multiple-time All-Star in the NBA.
In his senior year of high school, Porter was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and averaged 36.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.2 steals and 2.7 blocks per game.
Even if MPJ doesn’t ever play again (which I don’t think will happen), you can’t fault the Nuggets for this pick. I love the pick. That loss to Minnesota, as painful as it may have been to miss the playoffs, might have been a blessing in disguise.
— Oliver Maroney (@OliverMaroney) June 22, 2018
The Nuggets can be patient with Porter and bring him along slowly. Once they have moved on from Wilson Chandler, they can slide Porter into the starting small forward position. He also can play some small-ball power forward in today’s league.
The Nuggets now have one of the brightest young cores in the entire NBA. They are building around Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and now Michael Porter Jr. Porter has the potential to be the best player from that entire group and become the face of the Nuggets franchise.