How Michael Porter Jr. thrives in a starring role after a trade to Brooklyn
Michael Porter Jr. he was never known for his playmaking ability during his NBA career. The 28-year-old’s take on his first shot with the Denver Nuggets was so striking it earned him the nickname, Michael “Never Swing the Rock” Porter. However, the following his trade to the Brooklyn Netsthe veteran forward carries the burden of the No. 1 option for the first time in his career.
Porter Jr. has progressed in the role, excelling not only as a scorer but also as a playmaker. He had a career-high seven assists in back-to-back games last week. In addition to his career-high 24.2 points per game, he is averaging a career-high 3.2 assists while posting a 17.1 assist percentage, more than double any other season in his career.
“I think we’re better when everybody on our team is confident,” Porter Jr. said. on Tuesday. “So my job is to, yeah, shoot the ball and take the hard shots and probably take the most shots on the team, but it’s also to try to get everybody involved and make sure everybody’s feeling confident. (Nic) Clacton, get him going, get him to the free throw line, get him downhill, I think maybe that’s important for me. There are some times when I could shoot, but let’s try to get everybody going, I think that we are a much better team.”
After his trade this summer, Porter Jr. said he was excited about it “explore and expand his game with the Nets.”
Michael Porter Jr. is answering the call as the Nets’ leading offensive option after the trade
The 6-foot-10 sharpshooter said he expected more possessions as an isolation shooter and ball-handling pick-and-roll. However, Jordi Fernandez continued to use Porter Jr. primarily off the ball. The Nets forward excelled in that role with Brooklyn’s offense running through his off-ball movement.
“I don’t want to put him in a box, but at the same time, when he takes more than two or three dribbles, if it’s not one dribble to the rim, he gets in trouble. Again, he’s got all these really good defenders, and they’re underneath him as a tall player. He’s been very, very, very efficient moving the ball,” Fernandez said. “He can shoot over people and then cut, see the crowd and play with the pass instead of the dribble. Because we’re all faster when we play with the pass. So I give him all the credit in the world.”
“Now, to continue to do this, it’s going to take more effort because teams are going to scout and try different things against you. So whatever they try against us, we’re going to try to help him, but it’s going to be up to him to figure it out. He’s in a good space right now doing what he’s doing, and we’re going to put him in a different situation, and then we’ll see if he can do a different situation. He can do it effectively.”
2025-11-22 00:40:00
