2 min read • November 24, 2021
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Nuggets star forward Michael Porter Jr. may miss the entire season due to a nerve issue in his back, according to a report from Mike Singer of The Denver Post.
Porter Jr., who just signed a five-year, $172 million extension, injured his back on Nov. 6 when he botched a wide-open layup with 9 minutes left in the 1st quarter against the Rockets. Despite being in obvious discomfort, he stayed in the game for another four minutes before being subbed out, and he has missed all 8 games since.
The 23-year-old has had long-standing back issues stretching back to his college career, suffering an injury two minutes into his first NCAA game that ultimately led to two back surgeries in Nov. 2017 and July 2018. Expected to be a top lottery pick, he slipped down to No. 14 in the 2018 Draft and missed his entire rookie season because of concerns with his long-term health.
The fourth-year forward’s teammate, Austin Rivers, said in a recent article by Singer that Porter Jr. had been playing with pain this season. His performance had been lackluster: Porter Jr. has averaged 10.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 36.4% from the field and 21.7% on threes in his first 8 games, a far cry from the 19/7.3/1.1 line on 66.3% true shooting – good for 7th in the Association – he put up in a breakout 2020-21 campaign.
Porter’s loss would be devastating for a Denver team that is 9-8 and already without star point guard Jamal Murray, who tore his ACL in April 2021 and remains without a return timeline.
Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green will shoulder the load in his absence. Gordon, who himself just signed a four-year, $92 million extension in the offseason, has averaged 14.9 points on 6.6 rebounds in the 8 games since Porter's injury.
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