The old cliché about defending champions evolving from hunters to the hunted has meaning that’s two-fold in the case of Michael Porter Jr.
As opponents attempt to identify any potential weak spots they can exploit on Denver’s championship roster, Porter’s checkered history as a defender might stand out. The Nuggets generally switch one through four in their starting unit, so it’s easy enough for teams to hunt a one-on-one matchup against Porter for their top scorer. Then play iso-ball.
The problem is, Porter isn’t playing like someone who should be hunted at the defensive end.
One of the smoothest 3-point shooters in the NBA is shooting 18-for-68 at his specialty since the start of the NBA Finals in June — that’s 26.5% over an 11-game stretch — but the story of his 2023-24 season so far is the same as his Finals arc.
“He bought into playing defense, to trying, and realizing that if he doesn’t, he’s not going to be in there at the end of the games,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “And Michael Porter hates coming out at the end of the game. So he realizes, ‘OK, coach will play me if I’m trying.'”
Denver’s in-season tournament win Friday against the Mavericks was perhaps the most gritty example yet. Dallas repeatedly switched Porter onto early MVP candidate Luka Doncic throughout the night and isolated the matchup. Doncic is arguably the most dangerous ball-dominant offensive player in the NBA. He entered Friday’s game averaging 33.8 points and eventually climbed to reach 34 again, but only as the Mavericks desperately turned to him for crunch time offense in a game they were trailing. When Porter was his primary defender, Doncic shot 2-for-8 and turned it over five times.
“We were trying to take away the 3-pointer, that step-back three,” Porter said. “Because those are the things that can kind of get them hot and get them back in the game once we already had built a lead. But he’s so versatile and can go both ways. And then when he starts driving, he’s so crafty, drawing fouls, you’ve gotta put your hands up. So I just tried to make it tough on him. Really, that’s all you can do. Same way you guard Nikola, same way you guard some of the best players in the league. All you can do is make it tough for them, and then they’re either going to make it or miss it.”
Porter has been making an effort not to crowd players when he’s playing on-ball isolation defense. He wants to utilize his length more and not put himself at risk of being blown by. It helped him in Friday’s challenging matchup as he almost always stayed in front of Doncic. During one pivotal fourth-quarter possession after the Mavericks had briefly climbed back to within single digits, Doncic tried a handful of moves but couldn’t dance around Porter. He missed a contested floater. Mavericks momentum couldn’t be maintained.
Whenever he was on an island, Denver’s sharpshooter refused to get burned.
His teammates think it’s sending a message.
“His competitiveness on that end of the floor, he wants it and he’s capable,” Aaron Gordon said. “So teams aren’t going to be able to isolate him like that, and if they do, itap gonna be a bad look. Itap gonna be a bad shot. He’s 6-10. He’s athletic. He has a long wingspan. So thatap not an easy score.”
Porter’s dedication to crashing the glass is helping him contribute during shooting slumps as well. He’s averaging more than eight rebounds per game, and he scored a critical put-back late in Friday’s game that regained a 10-point lead for the Nuggets. But he wouldn’t have even been on the floor at that moment if not for the defensive effort Malone has noticed, dating back to last season.
“I definitely get frustrated when I’m not out there finishing games,” Porter admitted. “Because every player wants to be in those crunch moments.”
“He’s not going to be perfect,” Malone said. “None of our guys are perfect. But what Michael is showing me is that he cares.”
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