Lakers nemesis! Can Porter Jr. be close to the scoring champion next season?

Michael Porter, I've been letting myself go a little lately.

Since being traded by the Nuggets to the Nets, Porter Jr. has often participated in various podcast programs, and the topics he talks about are quite explosive, from basketball to private life, from gambling to gender. In short, he dares to say anything without any restraint.

Recently, Porter Jr. caused discussion again because of his remarks. When he reviewed his Nuggets' career, he talked about the Lakers and said with a smile: "I like playing series with the Lakers. Their fans are very excited. They always think they can beat us, but they have never done it. I don't know why, but I can always beat the Lakers. I don't think they can match me."

It's all to say that in the past few years, the Lakers have beaten the Nuggets. That was in the 2020 playoffs. The Lakers eliminated the Nuggets 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals and finally won the championship. However, Porter Jr. was still a rookie (reimbursed for the first year) that year, and Jokic has not yet reached the peak.

In the following years, the Nuggets met the Lakers twice, and eliminated the Lakers both times:

-2023 Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets swept the Lakers 4-0

-2024 First round, the Nuggets swept the Lakers 4-1 4-1 gentleman swept the Lakers

, and what Porter Jr. said is indeed a bit reasonable. His performance in these two rounds:

-2023 Western Conference Finals, averaging 15.0 points per game. 9.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists, three-point shooting percentage is 42.4%

--In the first round of 2024, averaging 22.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, and 48.8%

Among them, in the 2024 playoffs, Porter Jr. played 7 games and scored single digits in the second round against the Timberwolves; but in the first round against the Lakers, 5 games, 20+ games, which can be said to have brought huge trouble to the Lakers.

As for the reason, Porter Jr.'s words are quite reasonable. The Lakers do lack a player who can match him. When facing the Lakers' outside group, Porter Jr. basically no one can get a shot. I believe that fans who have watched the playoffs in those two years will never forget this.

But let's not play against the Lakers, Porter Jr. had a bad time last season.

The regular season, his performance was pretty good, playing in a total of 77 games, averaging 18.2 points, 7.0 points and 2.1 assists per game. His shooting percentages in the three events were 50.4%/39.5%/76.8%, and his real shooting percentage was 61.7%.

However, in the playoffs, Porter Jr., who was fighting with injuries, declined severely. He had a total of 14 games and averaged only 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. His three shooting percentage was 39.2%/34.3%/71.4%, and his real shooting percentage was only 50.7%.

Facing the Thunder's series, his performance was particularly disastrous. He scored single digits in 7 games and scored single digits per game, and averaged only 7.4 points and a three-point shooting percentage of 25.0% - To be honest, it's bad, but this round of shoulder injury had a huge impact on Porter Jr., and he couldn't even swing his arms normally when running in the game.

Despite this, the Nuggets still sent Porter Jr. to the Nets this summer. In this deal, the Nuggets also gave a 2032 unprotected first-round pick and got another good striker Cameron Johnson.

Only talk about Porter Jr. He spent all of his first seven years of his career in the Nuggets. Next season, he will wear a layup jersey, and Nets executives have a lot of expectations for this.

Previously, a Nets executive said: "We need to score, and Porter Jr. can help us a lot. I don't say he will definitely become the regular season scoring champion, but I think he will be very close to this achievement."

scoring champion? To be honest, I really dare to think about it.

Last season's regular season, Porter Jr.'s data was actually quite hard-core and very good efficiency. He was 2.08 meters tall and had a very high shooting point, so it was difficult for defensive players to block, but it was completely different from the Nuggets in the Nets.

First, the data of Porter Jr. during the Nuggets was played next to Jokic. Jokic's strong restraint gave Porter Jr. a lot of space and empty cut opportunities, which is one of the major reasons why he can remain efficient.

Secondly, Porter Jr.'s singles ability is not strong, and he can even be said to be a bit weak. He is more suitable to be a finishing point than an offensive starting point.

The Nets' lineup also has an impact. The Nets lack experienced point guards in the team. The best player in the team last season was Cameron Thomas, who has not renewed his contract, is not good at passing, and has not yet negotiated a renewal.

Moreover, the Nets have selected multiple first-round picks in one go this summer, with the focus definitely on cultivating young people (Yegorjamin, the No. 8 pick, is definitely the focus of training). Porter Jr. is likely to be just a passerby of the Nets. As long as there is a suitable opportunity, the Nets will continue to send him away.

In the prediction of the data website BBR, Porter Jr.'s data for every 36 minutes next season is: average 19.4 points per game, shooting percentage 49.7%, and three-point shooting percentage 39.8%. It can also be seen that he has a big gap with the scoring champion.

Interestingly, after joining the Nets, Porter Jr. once said in a selfie video: "I think in Denver, my ceiling is a bit over the end. The Jokic + Murray combination is very strong, and the team system revolves around them.

I am very grateful for that style of play. After all, we won the championship, so I do feel that my development space in Denver is somewhat limited, so I am excited about the new opportunities in Brooklyn.. ”

It can be seen that Porter Jr. is very confident, and the fans are also looking forward to what level can Porter Jr. play after leaving Jokic? Can he maintain efficient performance? Not to mention the scoring champion, can he break through 20 points per game in the regular season? Next season, we will wait and see.