After missing his rookie season due to injury, Denver Nuggets Forward Michael Porter Jr. logged 16 minutes in preseason action on Tuesday. The former Missouri Tiger dropped 9 points shooting 57 percent from the field. The Nuggets beat the Portland Trailblazers 105-95
MPJ has been dealing with a back injury that required multiple surgeries during last season. Porter Jr. was perceived as a number 1 overall pick until the injury lowered his value in the 2018 draft where he landed 14th to the Nikola Jokic led Nuggets.
With the success the Nuggets had without their 6’10 21-year old scorer, Porter Jr. could be the last piece that could take the always competitive Nuggets to the NBA Finals. The Nuggets won 54 games last season and beat the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs before being knocked off in 7 games by the Portland Trailblazers.
The Nuggets took a chance on another injured college star in the form of former Oregon Duck Bol Bol who was originally drafted by the Miami Heat but traded to the Nuggets. When healthy, Bol Bol was viewed as a top 5 pick out of the draft, but a lingering foot injury led NBA teams to doubt his ability to play at this level. Bol Bol did not play in the preseason game.
