MPJ shows up big in first action at Orlando

Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. waited all of 11 seconds before reminding his coaches and his teammates what he was capable of.

Moments after checking in to Monday’s scrimmage against the Magic, his first 5-on-5 action against NBA competition in four months, Porter pumpfaked, found a window and elevated. His elbow jumper looked as strong as ever, the first basket in what would turn out to be a fantastic reintroduction.

Though the Nuggets fell 114110 in their final scrimmage, with turnovers and 3-point defense undermining the efforts of Porter and Jamal Murray, their tantalizing forward showed out. Porter finished with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting in 20 minutes to go along with seven rebounds. Three of his rebounds came on the offensive glass, where his length

and bounce led to six secondchance points.

Porter, who arrived in Orlando weeks after the majority of his teammates did, said he pushed himself in the gym while back in Denver and in Missouri.

“I wanted to be ready, so that I didn’t have to take days and days to get in shape and get ready,” he said.

More than anything, Nuggets coach Michael Malone was thrilled to have a healthy perimeter player after surviving the first two scrimmages with just eight players and seven big men. That Porter’s active play reminded Malone of what he looked like before injuring his ankle in January was even sweeter.

After the injury, Porter’s role diminished drastically.

“I was a little slow because I didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on that foot, so that was messing me up,” he said, referring to the nine games after the All-Star break. But Porter, who said he turned a different ankle while scrimmaging with his friends back in Missouri, said he feels great now.

“I feel no pain or nothing,” he said. “It’s a blessing.”

Porter revealed he was playing 5-on-5 during the hiatus and that his friends “really weren’t paying the virus too much attention early on,” which should be taken as a cautionary tale. Outside of the Nuggets’ two scrimmages, the team was so depleted it wasn’t able to hold a full scrimmage on its own. The only times they’ve been able to play a full 5-on-5 game were during their three scrimmages. Now, with rotation players Gary Harris (hip) and Monte Morris (arrived late) the lone holdouts, they’ve got real, tangible depth.

On Monday, Murray played, which gave the Nuggets their first Orlando minutes with a true point guard. Before that, Troy Daniels had been the only active guard on the team.

Murray, who’d been with the Nuggets since their arrival July 7, but hadn’t played the first two scrimmages due to a hamstring issue, poured in 23 points in 25 minutes. He was hunting for his shot on offense, where he finished 8-of-12 from the field, and was engaged on defense.

“I thought Jamal was terrific tonight, his energy, his effort on both ends of the floor,” Malone said. “I thought he was locked in on defense, did a really good job with his on-ball defense on pick and rolls. I could tell he was really focused tonight.”

Porter and Murray’s shared debut offered cautious optimism ahead of the team’s first seeding game Saturday against Miami. And after four months off, it should be noted that Porter hadn’t lost an ounce of his confidence.

“I feel like I’m in a great headspace. I know we got a lot of good players, but my goal, right now, I’m not coming in here just trying to blend in with the team,” he said. “I’m trying to do my part to help this team win a championship. I think I can be a big part of that.”