Michael Porter Jr. is confident that he’s ready to be the third star the Nuggets are looking for, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Porter got uneven playing time at the beginning of last season, but injuries gave him a chance to be a starter and he became a star at Disney World, earning a spot on the All-Seeding Games second team.
Denver is counting on a strong second season from Porter after losing Jerami Grant and Torrey Craig in free agency. That leaves a huge hole at the wing spots, and Porter is ready to build on what he has learned.
“I kind of saw everything last year,” he said. “We played LeBron (James) in the playoffs, I played against Kawhi (Leonard), Paul George, all the best players at my position. So I feel like I have some experience now going into this season that I didn’t have last year in my first year playing. I went from DNPs to starting on a Western Conference finals team in the playoffs. I learned a lot in one year and looking to carry that over to this year. I want to make a really big jump. I’ve been working really hard in all the areas that I saw that I need to get better in the playoffs. I’m excited and I feel like I’m ready.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Nuggets players are excited about the addition of free agent forward JaMychal Green, according to Alex Labidou of NBA.com. Denver was looking to add toughness, which Green has displayed by establishing a presence in the league after going undrafted in 2012. “I’m just glad he’s on our team. He’s one of those power forwards you hate to go up against,” Paul Millsap said. “He’s a guy I’ve battled against for many years. He’s always had an attitude to be relentless and to win.”
- Trail Blazers swingman Rodney Hood is ready for a fresh start after a year filled with personal tragedy and recovery from an Achilles tear he suffered last December, notes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Hood is close to being cleared for five-on-five play and is expected to back up new additions Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr.
- Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns is heading into a new season with the pain of losing his mother and six other loved ones to COVID-19 still fresh on his mind, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Towns talked about the difficulty of focusing on basketball in the midst of so much tragedy. “I play this game more because I just love watching my family members seeing me play a game I was very good and successful at,” he said. “It always brought a smile for me when I saw my mom at the baseline and in the stands and stuff and having a good time watching me play. It’s going to be hard to play. It’s going to be difficult to say that this is therapy. I don’t think this will ever be therapy again for me. But it gives me a chance to relive good memories I had. I guess that’s the only therapy I’m going to get from it. It’s not going to really help me emotionally or anything.”
Clippers should JaMycal Green because he has trade value at TD
Keep Green
I think he fits Clippers perfectly, at least he is insurance to injury players
Why would the Nuggets trade Green to the Clippers when the just signed him. Stop being delusional Clipper fans.
Denver got better while the Clippers showed last year that they weren’t nearly as good as everyone thought. Portland will likely be battling the Clippers for the #4 seed to get home-court advantage in round one.
Westbrook mvp
I feel that Wizards can knock out 76ers and make playoffs
Because Embiid can’t play 60 games this season
Wizards starters are comparable to 76ers
Rui and Bryant
Bertans
WB and Beal
Wizards have better bench
Completely disagree, Wizards have Russ who is gives you 27-10-10 ish and Beal who will give them 30-4-4 ish. Then you have a drop off in talent to Bertans Hachimura and others.
Embiid is the paint stops a lot for the wizards, Simmons who is a great defender makes Russ work a lot harder then you have Danny Green and Tobias Harris.
Plus our bench is a lot better with Curry Howard Thybulle Milton Maxey Scott etc that’s a lot of shooting whereas who do the wizards have off the bench Robinson Brown Avdija Smith that’s a lot of inexperienced guys and not much shooting.
I think the Wizards will be good but I wouldn’t go that high with them. I think they could upset the Raptors possibly, or upset the Pacers but they will most likely be an 8th seed and play the Celtics Bucks or Nets in the first round and be lucky to win a game
Of course you doubt the raptors…very original…
Well I mean they let Gasol and Ibaka leave and got what Alex Len and Aaron Baynes that’s a huge step backwards.
Got better ? They lost Grant Craig and Plumblee and got back Green. I think they got worse
addition by subtraction. opened up playing time for homegrowns. they best step it up for the f.o. faith in them.
I see that Porter and Bol Bol can get more game time but Grant is a huge loss with his spacing defence and shot blocking. Craig was one of the teams best wing defenders that could shoot also and then Plumblee was just a consistent impact big from the bench.
Porter is obviously nice but he doesn’t have Grants defence, Bol Bol has potential but would have the consistency of Plumblee and I’d rather Craig than Green just cause the team doesn’t have wing/guard defenders.
I still think they when backwards in FA.
I’d be active in the trade market if I were them, they should be looking to pair Gary Harris with Monte Morris and a first in order to bring in a top SG/SF that can be of use at both ends.
RJ Hampton who they drafted was a great choice as a combo guard than can play make like Morris which makes him tradeable and saves the Nuggets from having to pay to extend him.
I’d be really interested in Victor Oladipo for Harris, Morris and a protected future first
Grant might be able to defend a lil’ bit better than MPJ… but dude MPJ will be an All-Star & All-NBA in this league!!!
This coming season MPJ will probably be around 18-20PPG at least, he is a million years better than Grant & it is the best move to get rid of him so MPJ can have the minutes to play & show how good he is & how much he can help the team.
About VO is good if you bring him for his D & sporadic shooting, but DEN doesn’t need a scoring guy with Murray, MPJ & Jokic… maybe a defensive guy like Craig, which shouldn’t be hard to pick around the TD.
Plus, Hampton can come in from Day 1, and he can be a solid perimeter defender, he is not just a playmaker. Not to mention, they’re going to have a healthy Harris and Barton this season, which should help out their defense tremendously as both can guard multiple positions adequately. Plus, they both can help create for themselves, and they can spot up or slash to the basket. Then, Bol should be unleashed this season as well, and he’s the perfect backup for Jokic.
Denver is easily 10 deep with average to above average talents, including 2 all-stars. Plus, they have quality guys like Howard who could be a spark plug off the bench, Cancar could be pretty good, Hartenstein, Nnaji, Dozier, and Daniels..
Most of their core players truly havent even reached their ceilings yet either. Jokic, Murray, Barton, Harris, Bol, MPJ, Hampton, and Morris are all still improving or still can improve to varying degrees..
Denver is scary what they could become if they’re ever firing on all cylinders, even the Lakers should be afraid if that ever happens..
Green was a loss for the Clips. A capped out contending team can’t let a solid 2 way rotation player like this walk at the number he got. Maybe there were personal issues, but, unlike Harrell, Green doesn’t seem like the sensitive type.
Unlike Harrell, Green can rebound, shoot and defend. He should’ve got more time in the playoffs. He’s also the only Clipper who really tried in that last playoff game
Couldn’t imagine what KAT is going through. I wish him the best this season
Clippers will be alright without Green.
They still have Morris Ibaka Patterson and Kabengele who can all play the 4 spot
Really???
Last year Morris showed how bad he is when it counts.
Ibaka is washed out & doesn’t play for team, Gasol still way better than him right now.
Who on earth is Patterson?
Kabengele hardly played a few minutes last year, right?
You are delusional if you really think currently M Gasol is better than Ibaka. Any raptor fan will tell you Ibaka was more valuable to them . As for Morris it was hard to adjust with the new team In middle of a season and then through a pandemic. This year he will show his value to the team .
Yeah, Ibaka is still a really quality player to have on your team. He can be a solid rim runner, and can help protect the rim, a quality rebounder, and he is still a threat to score from anywhere on offense..
Getting Ibaka was a great move for the Clippers. I’d personally, rather have Green and Harrell, but I’d rather have Ibaka than Green, and I’d rather have no locker room issues and Ibaka than Harrell and bad locker room chemistry..
Dxit90a you misuse the word ‘delusional’ when applied to a stat-supported opinion AND you don’t speak for Toronto fans. The Gasol-Ibaka debate was much- considered by them and there are proponents on both sides. Ibaka had better individual stats, but Gasol had better team stats, and they played in that manner if you watched the game. If you don’t understand the value of breaking down an opponent or scoring team points the you you have mistaken the sport for some kind of action-figure game.
The Clippers are weak at the 4 for a title contender. There is little hope of defense from any of them, though George usually plays there anyway if they play their best.
What a sad story about KAT…
It really sucks for him, I wish him the best, hope he has an amazing season to honor his momma!
Can’t be easy to focus on hoops with all the sadness & death going on around you!
KAT is one of the best centers to ever play the game, no doubt he will find the strength to carry on!
#Dominicano
Denver last yr was 5th in offense, 16th in defense. Yes they got better in bubble. They are a young team. And young teams grow and get better. They lost Grant, Plumlee. Added Campazzo, and had a good draft (Nnaji, Hampton). Porter needs to step up and give them 30 mins. If he does that they are contenders. Harris and Barton also need to have good yrs. Nnaji is a stretch4 that can play C. If he can give them rotation mins 15-20. This will make them a deep team. IMO Lakers are favorites. Clippers, Nuggets, Blazers all have a real shot. 1st rd gms will be tough in West. So you have to come to play to win. Can’t pull a Clippers from last yr.
It’s amazing how many serviceable players Denver lost in the last year. Beasley, Craig, Grant, Hernangomez and Plumlee would be a nice second unit for almost any team. Let’s see if they will miss them.
Denver isn’t serious about being a championship team…
Unc Shay voice…for me here’s the thing. The nuggets are one legit third star away from championship contention. They didn’t get better. They couldn’t keep Grant, they let Craig walk and they kept Millsap as a panic move. What! Bruh! So with Millsap and his injury history; say he gets hurt…Porter Jr is ready to fill that void? Bol Bol? As a fan it’s so frustrating to see teams that are 1 player away and don’t make a big move. So they didn’t get Holiday so they didn’t have a plan B? Didn’t lakers inquire about CP3? He didn’t wanna ring chase (he prefers to retire ring-less), lakers in tern acquired Schroder via trade. You mean to tell me the nuggets couldn’t trade for Derozen or Oladipo? They certainly have the assets to do so. These GM’s are just content with being an almost great team and franchise…
2021 WCF: Rockets vs. Nuggets