Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr. came back from illness with vengeance on and off the court against his old team, the Denver Nuggets.
The former Nugget scored 27 points in the 115-127 victory, and he didn’t hold back in taking more shots at his former franchise in the post-game interview.
Michael Porter Jr. Makes Unnecessary Dig at Nuggets
“I think that when an organization believes in you, and they reiterate confidence, there’s positive attitudes and positive vibes, whether you win or lose or whether you have good games or bad games, that can change a whole player’s production,” Porter Jr. said.
‘It can change his confidence…I think Jordi (Fernandez) and the whole Nets organization do a great job instilling confidence in players,” he continued.
Porter Jr. was traded to the Nets for a steal in June 2025, with the Nuggets receiving Cam Johnson for Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick.
Since the first day of the trade, Porter Jr. has made no secret of his joy for joining Brooklyn and taken more sly digs at the team he won an NBA championship with in 2023.
Speaking in the summer, ‘MPJ’ said, “I’m really excited for this next chapter out here in Brooklyn. I think over there in Denver, I felt like my ceiling had plateaued.”
“We ended up winning a championship, but I do feel like my ceiling in Denver plateaued a little bit. I am excited to expand my game and do what I do. I want to keep getting better throughout my career,” he added.
Well, if the first few months of the NBA season are anything to go by, Porter Jr. has been able to expand his game while playing for the Nets.
After averaging a career-high 18.2 points in his final season with the Nuggets, Porter Jr. has grown significantly in Brooklyn, averaging 25.9 points in his first 27 games.
‘MPJ’ had become a bystander to the Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray two-man game, but in Brooklyn, he’s the face of the franchise, and a call-up to the All-Star game looks within his grasp.
The Nets are 13th in the Eastern Conference, with 11 wins and 22 losses. The Nets are 0-6 when Porter Jr. isn’t in the line-up and have won eight of their last 11 with him in the team.
Nuggets coach David Adelman believes Denver used Porter Jr. ‘in the right way,’ but admitted, “It’s cool to see him have some more freedom here under Jordi (Fernandez).”
Whether he wins a championship again or not, Porter Jr. has definitely taken to the Nets organization, and he’s repaying them with an All-Star caliber season.
