The Denver Nuggets have earned a lot of talk in the past few weeks. Whether it was early on with Bol Bol showing us all his game on the court, the play of Nikola Jokic who was recently compared to Larry Bird by San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich, or most recently, the play of Michael Porter Jr.
The Nuggets sit squarely in the playoff picture but just how dangerous could this team be, especially if Porter Jr. continues his stellar play so far in the NBA restart'
Jokic is having a terrific season, doing it all, and leading the charge. They also have 10 players that have been averaging seven points or more, showing off great balance on the court.
But it has been interesting to now see the play of the first-round pick in 2018, Michael Porter Jr. If you remember Porter, he came out regarded as one of the top prospects in the country and a Top-5 pick before he missed most of his time at Missouri. He eventually dropped to the No. 14 pick to the Denver Nuggets, of course seeing the full potential in his game and having a chance to grab a premier talent mid-way through the first round.
This season, Porter has played a solid role for the Nuggets off the bench, averaging 8.1 points, 4.2 rebounds per game; certainly nothing spectacular but also playing a quality role for his team.
But, since the NBA restart, Porter has been playing his best basketball, coming off back-to-back 30-point performances and double-doubles.
He finished with 11 points in a loss to Miami, but then bounced back with a 37-point, 12-rebound performance in an overtime win vs. Oklahoma City and then backing that up with a 30-point, 15-rebound showing vs. the Spurs.
Averaging 26 points in three games so far, the Nuggets needed Porter to step up with Gary Harris, Will Barton, and Jamal Murray all missing time right now. However, with his confidence clearly rising and giving the Nuggets another key scoring contributor off the bench, could Denver be the team that could surprise everyone in the playoffs'
If Porter can continue to contribute at a consistent level off the bench and build off his confidence that he has recently been playing with, they certainly will have the firepower and star power to play against anyone.