When one door closes, another opens.

While Michael Porter Jr. may not be able to compete for NBA championships in the near future after the Denver Nuggets traded him away to the Brooklyn Nets, he now gets a chance to be featured as a first option for the first time in his career.

The 6’10 forward was billed as one of the next great perimeter scorers in the years leading up to the 2018 NBA Draft. However, persistent back injuries led him to slide in the draft as he went from a potential top pick to 14th overall with the Denver Nuggets.

Porter wound up missing the entirety of what should have been his rookie season, but when he was finally healthy, he proved to be worth the hype. He matured into a reliable perimeter threat for Denver, averaging 16.2 points, 2.4 three-pointers on 40.6% shooting, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists over his six-year tenure with the team.

When the Nuggets won the NBA title in 2023, he started in all 20 of their postseason games, putting up averages of 13.4 points, 2.3 three-pointers, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 32.7 minutes per game.

The potential of Porter to become one of the premier scorers in the NBA considering his height and shooting stroke was clear, yet he never had the opportunity to shine given that he shared the court with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

Now, he can finally prove himself with the Nets for whom he is expected to become the leading scorer in the upcoming season (Trae Young certainly believes so). Porter, along with Terance Mann and Nic Claxton, will enter the season as the most tenured members of Brooklyn’s roster with six years of experience. This tells fans everything that they need to know about the Nets’ current situation as they are geared for another rebuilding season.

What this means is that Porter will get all of the shots that he can possibly take and if things break in his favor, he just might prove to other contending teams that he is the missing piece that they need to get over the hump. If Porter can live up to his talents and become the scorer that many believe that he can be, he could very well be a second or third option on a great team.

Porter is still only 27 years old and if he can learn how to shut up, he still has a strong chance to become an NBA All-Star caliber player. 

The talent is definitely there for Porter, but what remains to be seen is if he can put it all together. He has the perfect shot to do so here with the Nets and many will be watching to see if he can make the most of what might be his last chance to live up to his potential.