NBA Playoffs must-follow storylines: Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets
1. What are we getting from Michael Porter Jr.?
More than TJ Warren, Devin Booker or Damian Lillard, no single player has used the bubble to rise above more levels of obscurity than Michael Porter Jr.
He missed his entire rookie season and was brought along slowly as a sophomore, only averaging 14.0 minutes a night before the NBA’s suspension. But the Nuggets returned to play missing several key pieces. Mike Malone was left with little choice but to throw his young forward into the fire, where Porter has emphatically responded.
Across Denver’s first seven seeding games — Porter missed the final game — Porter averaged 22.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game with a ridiculous shooting line of .551/.422/.931. He earned All-Bubble Second-Team honors and gives hope to the second star Denver so desperately needs to legitimize its championship hopes.
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Of course, the difference between regular and postseason basketball has been well chronicled. Utah will be better prepared than any of Denver’s seeding opponents — themselves included — to slow down a player who has literally burst onto the scene. Their knowledge will only increase with each passing game.
How Porter responds against greater levels of defensive effort will indicate the distance he still has to travel to truly impact Denver’s bottom line, altering its title chances one way or another in the process