Tag: michael porter jr

Michael Porter Jr. making it rain for the Nuggets

Via the Denver Post:

In a quest for history, Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. couldn’t be denied.

Entering Thursday’s matchup against the New York Knicks, Porter only needed three 3-pointers to set the franchise’s single-season record. The way Porter’s been shooting of late, it felt as if it was only a matter of time during Denver’s 113-100 victory inside Ball Arena.

With 38 seconds left in the second quarter, forward Aaron Gordon drove to the free throw line before passing to Porter, who drained a contested step-back 3-pointer. Later in the third, Porter caught a pass from Nikola Jokic before draining a 3 to extend Denver’s lead to 10 points.

As the Nuggets began pulling away from the Knicks in the fourth, Gordon once again found Porter on the wing, where the sharpshooter knocked down his 193rd 3-pointer of the season, surpassing former Denver small forward Dale Ellis (192) on the franchise’s all-time list.

Denver Nuggets 2023 NBA championship parade highlights

Denver Nuggets 2023 NBA championship parade highlights:

The latest on injured Nuggets Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray

The Denver Nuggets haven’t been at full strength this season. Here’s the Denver Post with the latest on a few of their key injured players:

Just like every hopeful Nuggets fan, Will Barton has allowed his mind to wander.

As good as the Nuggets are (25-12 since Jan. 1), Barton knows what the potential returns of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray could mean for the Nuggets during the playoffs.

Six months into the season, depending on their returns, his workload could get significantly lighter. And in turn, the Nuggets could level up from a dangerous postseason matchup to a deep, multifaceted offense.

“Of course,” he told The Denver Post. “You can’t shy away from that.

“Obviously, we’re missing two great players. We’ll welcome them back, but we gotta focus on what’s going on in the present. … When we get the word that they’re coming back, we’ll take it from there.”

Porter, it appears, is trending closer to a return than Murray following back surgery on Dec. 1.

Nuggets sign Michael Porter Jr. to contract extension

The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Michael Porter Jr. to a multi-year contract extension, President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Per the Denver Post, Porter Jr.’s deal is a “five-year, max contract extension worth as much as $207 million.”

Porter Jr., 23, had the best season of his young career in 2020-21, helping lead Denver to 47 wins in a 72-game shortened season and the three seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. In 61 games (54 starts), he averaged career-highs in points (19.0), rebounds (7.3), assists (1.1), field goal percentage (54.2%), three-point field goal percentage (44.5%) and minutes per game (31.3). He posted a career-high 39 points (8-12 3FG’s), along with six rebounds, three blocks and two assists vs. Houston on Apr. 24th.He became the first player since Joel Embiid in 2017 to post those numbers in the second year of their career and the third Nugget in franchise history to make seven or more three pointers in consecutive games.

More from the Denver Post: “Tim Connelly isn’t tossing chips to center of the poker table anymore. He’s pushing gold bricks. Connelly, the Nuggets’ president of basketball operations, has committed to roughly $115 million over the winter of 2022-’23 to Denver’s Core Four of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. That little flyover team on Chopper Circle, the one which has the reigning NBA MVP, is slated in 2023 to become just the fourth league franchise to boast three players on max contracts. The other three: the Lakers, Nets and Warriors. High rollers, all.”

Porter Jr. had one of the best shooting seasons in Nuggets history, finishing with 170 three-point field goals in 61 games played, ranking him fourth all-time for a single season in NBA franchise history. He also finished with the highest three-point percentage for a season (min. 150 attempts) in franchise history connecting on 44.5% from long distance. Additionally, he had 11 games posting at least five three pointers, tying the single season record for most games with at least five (Randy Foye, 2013-14).

Porter Jr. ascended in his role following the loss of Jamal Murray for the season on Apr. 12th. In the 17 games that followed, he averaged 23.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 56.0% from the field and 48.9% from three. In that span, he had 12 games scoring 20+ points and eight games with four or more three pointers.

The Columbia, Missouri, native appeared in his second postseason in 2021 helping the Nuggets reach the second round of the playoffs for the third straight season. Porter Jr. started all 10 playoff games, averaging 21.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists, shooting 54.2% from the field and 44.5% from three in 33.2 minutes. He posted four games of 20+ points, including 26 points in both games five and six of the first round to help eliminate Portland.

Porter Jr. was drafted by the Nuggets with the 14thoverall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of the University of Missouri and missed his rookie campaign as he rehabbed from a lower back injury. Over two seasons with Denver, he has appeared in 116 games (62 starts), averaging 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 53.2% from the field and 43.9% from long range in 24.3 minutes per game. He has increased his scoring, rebounding, assists, field goal percentage and three-point percentage in each season of his career. Additionally, the Nuggets are 27-9 (.750) in Porter Jr.’s career when he scores 20+ points in game.

Julius Randle wins 2020-21 NBA Most Improved Player award

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has been named the 2020-21 NBA Most Improved Player.

A first-time NBA All-Star selection in his seventh season, Randle becomes the first player to win the NBA Most Improved Player Award with New York. The annual award, which was first presented in the 1985-86 season, is designed to honor an up-and-coming player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons.

Randle received 98 first-place votes and earned 493 total points from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.

Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant received the other two first-place votes and finished in second place with 140 points. Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. finished in third place with 138 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

In his second season with the Knicks, Randle averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in an NBA-high 37.6 minutes in 71 games. He set career highs for averages in points and assists and matched his career high in rebounds, ranking in the top 20 in the NBA in all three categories. The 6-9 Randle is the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 24.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in a season, joining Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokić (who also did it this season), Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.

Randle made a career-high 160 three-pointers in 2020-21, eight fewer than his total for the previous five seasons combined (168). He shot 40.1 percent from three-point range, well above his career mark of 29.5 percent entering the season. Randle also shot a career-high 81.1 percent from the free throw line.

Selected as a reserve for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, Randle tied for eighth in the league in double-doubles with 41 and tied for seventh in triple-doubles with six. Randle was named the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for April and the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 17.

Behind Randle, the Knicks (41-31) finish tied for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. New York made the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

Randle, 26, signed with the Knicks as a free agent on July 9, 2019. Before joining New York, he played his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and one season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Randle entered this season with career averages of 16.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Michael Porter Jr. showed nice flashes of talent for Nuggets this season

At 43-22, good for third best in the Western conference, the Denver Nuggets were one of the best teams in the league this season. Here’s the Denver Post on a talented young member of the squad’s supporting cast, Michael Porter Jr:

On Oct. 31 in New Orleans, Porter scored a team-high 15 points in his professional debut, but it came during an embarrassing pummeling to the Pelicans. It was unsettling because his personal triumph came amid a painful loss. To his credit, he struck the right tone.

For the next two months, he was a part of the revolving door at small forward, splitting time with Craig and Hernangomez. None of them found much rhythm, and Porter wasn’t getting the consistent minutes that would allow him to maintain confidence on offense or develop as a defender. Finally, in late December, he had his breakout game (19 points, 8-of-10 shooting) in his first start vs. the Kings. Two games later, at Indiana, he had the highlight of his season.

Porter hung a career-high 25 points against the Pacers and served as the catalyst for a significant road win. The degree of difficulty on some of the shots he hit that night validated some of the rumors that had trickled out of the Nuggets’ practice court.

Porter played sparingly, averaging 7.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game, but he shot well: 49.5% from the field and 42.2% from three-point range. There’s every reason to believe he’ll keep improving.

The NBA season remains on hold due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Nuggets sign rookie Michael Porter Jr

The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Michael Porter Jr. to his rookie contract.

All players selected in the first round of the draft, as Porter Jr was, are guaranteed to receive a contract. Therefore, this signing is standard and was expected.

Porter Jr., 6-10, 215, was selected by the Nuggets with the 14th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of the University of Missouri. He began his collegiate career as the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit as a high school senior out of Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Washington. Porter Jr. averaged 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game as a senior while leading Nathan Hale to a perfect 29-0 record en route to the Washington Class 3A State Championship, the first-ever state title for the school.

The native of Indianapolis was named the MVP of the McDonald’s High School All-American Game as well as winning both the Naismith and Gatorade National Player of the Year awards, joining Dwight Howard (2004), LeBron James (2003), Chris Webber (1991) and Alonzo Mourning (1988) as the only players to ever accomplish the feat. Porter Jr. was named a 2017-18 consensus preseason All-American, the 2017-18 preseason ESPN National Freshman of the Year and the 2017-18 preseason SEC Co-Player of the Year.

Nuggets take Michael Porter Jr. with 14th pick in NBA Draft

The Denver Nuggets selected forward Michael Porter Jr. with the 14th overall pick in tonight’s 2018 NBA Draft. Denver also acquired the draft rights to forward Jarred Vanderbilt at 41st overall from Orlando in exchange for the 43rd pick and a future second round pick and also selected center Thomas Welsh with the 58th pick.

Porter Jr., 6-10, 215, signed with the University of Missouri as the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit as a high school senior out of Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Washington. Porter Jr. averaged 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game as a senior while leading Nathan Hale to a perfect 29-0 record en route to the Washington Class 3A State Championship, the first-ever state title for the school.

The 19-year-old native of Indianapolis was named the MVP of the McDonald’s High School All-American Game as well as winning both the Naismith and Gatorade National Player of the Year awards, joining Dwight Howard (2004), LeBron James (2003), Chris Webber (1991) and Alonzo Mourning (1988) as the only players to ever accomplish the feat. Porter Jr. was named a 2017-18 consensus preseason All-American, the 2017-18 preseason ESPN National Freshman of the Year and the 2017-18 preseason SEC Co-Player of the Year before a back injury limited him to just three games during his debut campaign.

Vanderbilt, 6-9, 214, appeared in 14 games as a freshman for Kentucky, averaging 5.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.0 minutes per game. The 19-year-old from Houston averaged 28.5 points, 13.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists as a senior at Victory Prep School. Vanderbilt played for the USA Junior National Select Team at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit and was also a member of the U.S. U16 National Team that won Gold at the 2015 FIBA U16 Americas.

Welsh, 7-0, 255, played four seasons at UCLA where he averaged 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 53.7% from the field. He was one of five finalists for the 2017-18 Kareem Abdul-Jabar award, given to the nation’s top center, and finished his Bruins career ranked third in career rebounds (1,035), third in blocks (143) and sixth in career double-doubles (37). As a senior the California native posted averages of 12.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 40.7% from three (45-of-112 3FG) and 82.8% from the free throw line. His 10.8 rebounds per game was UCLA’s highest per game average since David Greenwood in 1977-78.