The Denver Nuggets have managed to stay afloat throughout the 2021-22 NBA season despite not having Jamal Murray (torn ACL) for a single game and Michael Porter Jr. (back surgery) appearing in just nine games.
Nikola Jokic has shouldered the load with averages of 25.8 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 8.0 assists to led the Nuggets to a 35-25 record through the team’s initial 60 games of the season. There’s a need for some more support ahead of the playoffs to make some noise and he may be getting a boost in that department.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Michael Porter Jr. is “progressing to be cleared for on-court contact within the next” and there is a “path for him to return” in March.
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is progressing to be cleared for on-court contact within the next week, freeing a path for him to return to the lineup sometime in March, his agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told ESPN on Sunday.
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Porter Jr. sorely struggled in the games that he’s appeared in this season before undergoing back surgery. He averaged 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting just 35.9 percent from the floor and 20.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Having signed Porter Jr. to a five-year, $172.5 million contract extension in the offseason, getting him back on the floor and thriving will be pivotal for the Nuggets.
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Much attention will be placed on the ongoing recovery efforts of Jamal Murray as the start of the playoffs nears. There was recent mention from Nuggets executive Tim Connelly that Murray and Porter Jr. will be cleared in the “not too distant future.”
If the Denver Nuggets end up having both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in their lineup for the playoffs, they will be one of the toughest teams in the Western Conference bracket. Nikola Jokic is playing at an MVP level once again but just needs some more support to win a playoff series.
