{"id":104886,"date":"2024-11-03T23:35:18","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T04:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=104886"},"modified":"2024-11-03T23:35:18","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T04:35:18","slug":"nuggets-michael-porter-jr-finding-all-star-formula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/03\/nuggets-michael-porter-jr-finding-all-star-formula\/","title":{"rendered":"Nuggets\u2019 Michael Porter Jr. Finding An All-Star Formula"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite a desire to be an All-Star-level scorer<\/a>, Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.<\/a> is averaging 16.5 points per game this season, his lowest mark since his injury-shortened 2021-22 campaign.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s shooting 47.0 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep. Though his 13.8 field goal attempts per game are actually a career-high, he averaged 13.2 field goal attempts per game the previous four seasons. In 2024-25, he\u2019s averaging 6.7 three-point attempts per game, but took 6.8 three-point attempts per game the previous four seasons.<\/p>\n

Based on those numbers, it seems like Porter\u2019s hopes will be dashed in 2024-25. Had he been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal for Paul George<\/a>, a deal that the Nuggets turned down to retain key role players<\/a>, he may very well be racking up points right now<\/a>. However, on a team with more top-end talent and an established pecking order, Porter\u2019s pretty much boxed-in.<\/p>\n

Or is he?<\/p>\n

Nuggets\u2019 Michael Porter Jr. Finding An All-Star Formula<\/h2>\n

In his last two contests, Porter\u2019s posted 23.0 points per game while looking far more aggressive. His shooting splits \u2014.600-.538-.750 \u2014don\u2019t look to be sustainable over a long period of time. However, the process of how Porter\u2019s gotten those points could be.<\/p>\n

For years, Porter has been considered a three-point specialist. In fact, since he\u2019s become a full-time starter, 51.0 percent of his field goal attempts have been from three-point range. Yet, in the past two games, 43.3 percent of his shot attempts have been threes. This isn\u2019t an extreme difference but it\u2019s significant, reflecting Porter\u2019s increased willingness to score off-the-dribble.<\/p>\n

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Michael Porter Jr. hit some insanely tough shots in that first half pic.twitter.com\/Ew0M7P24JW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) November 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n