AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Denver Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly spoke with reporters Friday about a number of topics, including the possibility of extending forward Michael Porter Jr.’s contract.
Mike Singer of the Denver Post provided the details on Porter:
The 22-year-old Porter averaged 19.0 points on 54.2 percent shooting (44.5 percent from three-point range) and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Nuggets, who finished third in the Western Conference standings and reached the second round of the playoffs.
Per HoopsHype, Porter is scheduled to make $5,258,735 during the 2021-22 season. He’s currently set to become a restricted free agent in 2022.
Porter has emerged as a breakout star for Denver, and it’s easy to see why the Nuggets view him as a long-term piece for their core.
He notably dominated over a 15-game stretch after point guard Jamal Murray suffered a season-ending torn ACL on April 12.
During that span, Porter averaged 25.4 points on 57.9 percent shooting and 6.3 rebounds per game, according to Basketball-Reference.
His emergence helped Denver finish third in the Western Conference and defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs despite Murray’s absence.
Denver selected Porter with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He sat out the 2018-19 season after undergoing a second back surgery related to a back injury suffered during his lone campaign at the University of Missouri.
He also underwent a microdiscectomy in Nov. 2017 that kept him out for nearly all of his first-year campaign with the Tigers.
The Nuggets’ gamble on Porter has paid off handsomely, however, as he’s emerged as an efficient shooter and scorer. Now they’ll hope to retain him long-term before other teams have a chance at inking him to a deal.
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