NEW YORK — Forward Michael Porter Jr. is counting on a former colleague to smooth his move from Denver to Brooklyn. The 27-year-old arrived in July when the Nets traded forward Cam Johnson to the Nuggets for Porter and a 2032 first-round draft pick.
Porter said Tuesday that working daily with new head coach Jordi Fernandez, an assistant during Porter’s first four seasons in Denver, has helped him navigate the demands of New York.
“Just coming to a new city and feeling a little bit overwhelmed, it’s big to have a head coach like Jordi,” Porter explained.
Fernandez called Porter “an elite shooter” and praised his rebounding and cutting. The coach added that he will ask the 6-foot-10 wing to expand his game in Brooklyn. Porter averaged 18.2 points last season on 50.4% shooting overall and 39.5% from three-point range, ranking third on the Nuggets behind Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.
The Nets plan to feature Porter alongside five rookie first-round picks. Porter said pickup games in the offseason, when Jokić and Murray were off the floor, showed him he could thrive as a primary option.
He also expects to share scoring duties with guard Cam Thomas. The 6-4 scorer led Brooklyn with 24.0 points per game but appeared in only 25 contests last season because of a left hamstring injury. After restricted-free-agency talks failed to produce a long-term contract, Thomas accepted a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer.
General manager Sean Marks praised Thomas’ commitment during the offseason. “He’s approached this in a very mature manner,” Marks said, noting the negotiations’ challenges. Brooklyn finished 26-56 last season and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
Source: ESPN
