Fresh off signing a five year $172.6 million dollar contract extension, Micheal Porter Jr season is officially over. Porter Jr will undergo back surgery and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, according to multiple reports. This will be Porter’s third back surgery in four years.
Porter has a well known issues with his back that cost him to slide down to the 14th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Nuggets didn’t rush him to play much during his rookie season but in 2020-21, he played in 61 of the Nuggets’ 72 games in a truncated season. Porter averaged 19 points per game on 54.2 percent shooting from the field, and 44.5 percent from the 3-point line.
Prior to the injury Porter was off to a rough start this season, averaging 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds on 35.9 percent shooting from the field and 20.8 percent from 3-point range through nine games.
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For the Nuggets, it’s going to be a difficult season navagating injuries. All-Star Jamal Murray is recovering from a torn ACL and now Porter out, the Nuggets will lean on the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic to carry the load. Will Jokic be enough for the Nuggets to navigate the difficult Western conference? Where all about to find out.