Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. Not Ruling Out Return For Series vs. Warriors

Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is not ruling out a return in the team’s first-round playoff series vs. the Warriors, he told Marc J. Spears of ESPN.

“Right now, I’m taking it game by game. I’m not ruling anything out. This is a thing I don’t ever want to deal with again, so I’m just taking my time …,” Porter told Spears. “I’m playing it game by game. Every morning I wake up and I know I’m feeling good. Every day I’m getting closer.”

Porter, 23, is 6-foot-10 and averaging 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in nine appearances this season. He exited the Nov. 9 game vs. the Rockets with the back injury — though it likely was nagging for a while before that. He underwent surgery on Dec. 1.

“I was feeling pretty good. Feeling ready to go. I was ready to step back up. Just got a tiny bit sore, so I realize about a month ago that I was good, but I was pushing myself too hard to get back. …,” he told Spears. “I can do anything. I have no restrictions. But when I got back to playing full speed and doing everything, that’s when I just got a little sore. So, I just decided that if I feel perfect, I’m going to come back. If not, I’m going to take my time.”

The No. 14 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Porter missed his most of his only college season and all of his rookie season after back surgeries. 

He averaged career-highs of 19.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in 61 games last season, arguably his best yet.

The Nuggets trail the series vs. the Warriors, 1-0, after dropping a 123-101 loss on Saturday night.