LAS VEGAS — For Michael Porter Jr., getting traded from Denver to the Nets is going to be a huge adjustment, culturally and competitively.
From third wheel on a contender to top option on a rebuild.
From the Midwest to the big city, always his least favorite in the league.
Just don’t expect him to stress over any of it.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Porter, who found out he’d been traded from the only team he’d ever known while flying to Saint-Tropez, France.
He reacted as expected.
“I flipped the script in my head pretty quick. Honestly, I’m not like a super anxious guy. So on the plane when I found out, I was just like, ‘Well, I’m traded,’ and took a nap afterwards. [But] I’m excited to be here, though. I love Denver, I love my time there, but I’m excited for this new chapter.”
That chapter will be pretty different than the previous ones. Porter, raised in Missouri, is going to be pulled out of his comfort zone.
“I always said New York was my least favorite NBA city,” Porter laughed. “Just because I grew up in the Midwest, where there’s so much space and no traffic. So it’ll be an adjustment. But I think it’ll end up being an amazing place for me.”
The adjustment will be athletic as well. Porter had spent his entire career with the Nuggets, the first four years with Nets coach Jordi Fernández as an assistant. After a third back surgery ruined Porter’s 2021-22 campaign, he returned the next season to help Denver win the championship.
That was as a third option, behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Now, Porter, who comes with $79 million and two years left on his contract — along with Denver’s unprotected 2032 pick — is in a rebuild in which he not only can expand his game but will have to.
“When you’ve got a good team like that and you’ve got so many guys who are capable on the floor together, there’s gonna be guys that sacrifice,” Porter said. “That’s the nature of when you’re on a championship team. … For me, I averaged [19 points] one year. Last year, I was [18.2] as the third option. I just feel like I have more in my tank still. I don’t feel like I’ve reached my peak, and I’m excited to grow my game, expand my game, explore my game, and see what I could do.”
Porter is the only proven scorer on the roster other than Cam Thomas, and the latter is a restricted free agent. Now, the 6-foot-10 forward has to prove he can score efficiently away from Jokic.
Over the past three seasons, he’s averaged 17.4 points on .492/.404/.795 splits and .612 true shooting. But in 22 games without Jokic, those figures fell to 15.9 points on .440/.268/.707 splits and .525 true shooting.
A catch-and-shoot deadeye, Porter will need to improve his self-creation game.
“It’s gonna be like exploring the game and working on the things in practice. Part of being a successful NBA player is when you’re working on things during the season, you should work on the shots and things you’re gonna get in the game,” Porter said. “I feel like now my daily preparation and my daily work will be a little bit different, and hopefully, that translates over to the game.
“It’ll probably be some more self-creation, iso situations. Jordi has already talked to me about creative ways to get me in comfortable spots on the floor. So it will be a dialogue. I’m excited to see where it goes. And it’s definitely gonna be an adaptation. I won’t be the same player [on opening night] as I will be Game 20 as I adjust to that heavier load and that heavier role.”
