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It’s Time For Nuggets To Shutdown Falling Star

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Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. guards Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard

With the Denver Nuggets halfway through their First Round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, two of their starters —Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon —are far less healthy than is needed.

It’s Time For Nuggets To Shutdown Michael Porter Jr.

After Game 3, Gordon told ESPN’s Marc J. Spears that “he can barely jump.” Given the way Game 4 ended, he might have been hyperbolic. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old is a three-time Slam Dunk champion. For him to even insinuate that he can’t get adequate lift indicates that he’s truly not quite himself right now.

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The allusion to how his ailing body is effecting his mobility isn’t just significant with regard to his offense, though his ability to play off of Nikola Jokic helps the team hum along. Gordon’s combination of size and athleticism allows him to be a useful, multi-positional defensive weapon.

However, even while hobbled, Gordon’s averaging 17.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in the First Round. He’s even managed to maintain a reasonable level of efficiency from outside. In the 2024-25 regular season, he shot what was perhaps an unsustainable career-high 43.6 percent from 3. Nevertheless, he’s converted 38.5 percent of his 3s in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

The bigger issue is the way the Porter is feeling.

MPJ’s Melange

After an uncharacteristically poor performance in Game 1, Porter revealed that he broke the orthopedic brace he uses for his drop foot condition, which has affected his movement (h/t Bennett Durando of The Denver Post). During Game 2, Porter suffered a shoulder injury, which he revealed to be a joint sprain. However, he had a solid game, tallying 15 points and 15 rebounds in

“I’ve never felt pain like this in my shoulder,” he admitted afterward, before attempting to minimize concerns.

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Porter was unsure if he would suit up for Game 3, which wound up being a dud on an individual level. Following a loss in which he went just 2-9 from the floor (1-6 from 3), he told reporters that he was operating at about “20-30 (percent),” per AltitudeTV’s Vic Lombardi. The sniper added that his left shoulder injury, which he revealed to be a joint sprain, would normally require a “four or five week recovery” period.

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Prior to Game 4, he was listed as questionable. Though he did manage to suit up in what was a history-bending win, he looked every bit as hurt as he said he was. The good news is that he played quite well in Saturday’s matchup, scoring 17 points on 6-11 shooting from the field (5-7 from 3). He won’t be winning Defensive Player of the Year any time soon but he was respectable at that end, using his size to make positive contributions.

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Nonetheless, if the Nuggets’ goal is to win a championship, it’s time to shut Porter down.

Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

The 2025 NBA Finals tip-off on June 5. That’s about five weeks away; the amount of time Porter believes he needs for his shoulder to heel. Of course, it’s not his shooting arm that’s been affected. Nevertheless, a player’s non-shooting hand is often used to guide the ball and he can barely lift his non-shooting arm.

His ability to torch the nets while injured is out of the ordinary, highlighting his status as an elite marksman. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to heal though. It doesn’t guarantee that his percentages will continue to be pristine, as he proved in Game 3.

With regard to his drop foot brace, the situation isn’t much more complex.

Breaking in a new brace presumably requires Porter to play in it. With that in mind, it’s often said that there’s no way to truly simulate game speed. However, when athletes work themselves into game condition, the objective is to reach a target baseline rather than his physical peak.

If maintaining that same mentality, Porter’s goal should be building a solid level of comfort with his new brace before getting back on the floor. When it’s time for him to return to the court, he might not look like a well-oiled machine but he shouldn’t look so hesitant to make sudden movements either.

Hindsight/Foresight

Ultimately, letting Porter rest will help them more in the long run because he’ll be better off for it. He’s converted 44.0 percent of his 3s in wins and 32.5 percent of his 3s in losses this season. His defensive rating in wins (114) is also night and day from his defensive rating in losses (124). If they didn’t have a perennial MVP candidate, even more would ride on him playing well.

So, why not make sure he can play as well as he can when it matters most?

© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The post It’s Time For Nuggets To Shutdown Falling Star appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.