Following a Western Conference semifinals loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Denver Nuggets are gearing up to make amends next season.
The club made a major splash this summer, acquiring Cameron Johnson in exchange for Michael Porter Jr., who spent the first six seasons of his career in Denver. Now on a rebuilding Brooklyn Nets squad, Porter is expected to play an expanded role and could emerge as the team’s top scoring option.
According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, a Nets front office executive expects a breakout season from Porter and believes he could compete with the league’s best in the scoring department
“We’re going to play a lot of young players. But we need some vets to balance that. And, of course, we need to score some points,” the executive said. “Porter will help us a ton there. I’m not saying he’ll win the scoring title, but I think it could be close.”
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Porter has been a versatile scorer throughout his career, averaging 15.1 points per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from beyond the arc. In Denver, however, he played a complementary role in the offense behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Now joining a Nets team with several young players but few proven scorers, Porter appears poised for a breakout season. Cam Thomas could take some touches away from him, though he’s a restricted free agent and may still end up elsewhere this offseason.
Porter is coming off a productive 2024-25 campaign, in which he appeared in 77 regular-season games and averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 three-pointers and 2.1 assists while shooting 39.5 percent from downtown.
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