Michael Porter Jr. Aims To Win Rookie of the Year

Without the injury concerns, Michael Porter Jr. would have been off the board after the first couple of picks in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Porter was one of the best high school players, averaging 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. He was the McDonald’s All American Game MVP, Mr Basketball USA, USA Today player of the year, and one of the best players at the Nike Hoop Summit.

Unfortunately, Porter was injured in the first game he played in college and was expected to miss the remainder of the 2017–18 season because of a lower back injury which required surgery.

That’s the reason he fell from being a potential first overall pick to becoming a 14th pick. If he can leave his injuries behind him (like Joel Embiid eventually did), he will be an absolute steal for the Nuggets, who took a chance on him.

MPJ is now fully healthy and more than ready to make his NBA debut. He’s also setting big goals for his rookie season and wants to win Rookie of the Year:

“Yeah, I do. It’s a goal in the back of my head, but my main goal is just to help. We’re already a great team, I want to help, do what I can to help this team improve even more. Even if that’s cheering in the bench. I don’t want to be the guy that brings this team down.”

Three more interesting quotes from Michael Porter Jr. on not playing in summer league, if he's thinking about rookie of the year, and the curiosity of how he'll fare in the NBA.

Personally, I'm very much looking forward to his on-court debut. #Nuggets pic.twitter.com/8Hkbqq8DU1

— Chris Dempsey (@chrisadempsey) September 25, 2019