Michael Porter Jr. made his NBA debut in the first quarter of Thursday’s game between the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans. Porter who was drafted 14th overall by the Nuggets dropped a team-high 15 points in his 20 minutes on the court shooting 5-8 from the field and 1-3 from three-point range. The Nuggets lost 107-122.
Checking in for the FIRST NBA MINUTES of his career..
MICHAEL PORTER JR!!!#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/wPv0zE6Xsl
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 1, 2019
The former USC trojan missed his entire rookie season with a back injury that he suffered in college. Prior to the injury, Porter Jr. was seen as a potential #1 overall pick, but the 6’10 Forward’s lingering injury was seen as too severe to risk an early lottery pick.
Porter Jr. did try and get some work in during the NBA Summer League but suffered a knee sprain that sidelined him for the rest of Summer League. He was reportedly upset that he was not in the rotation for the first few games the Nuggets played, but he finally got his opportunity and didn’t disappoint.
MPJ did not disappoint in his debut! #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/C5tTXFUx0J
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 1, 2019
The Nuggets are back in action on the road in Orlando to play the Magic on Saturday.