While the Nuggets keep losing players to injuries, and Cam Johnson struggles to find his shot, Michael Porter Jr. keeps crushing it for the Nets. On the season, Mike is averaging 25.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 50% shooting and 40% three-point shooting. And recently, he has been even better, as he became the first forward in NBA history to rip off four straight games with 30+ points and 5+ made threes.
Beyond that, he has actually been helping the Nets win some games as they’ve captured four of their last six with MPJ leading the way. According to Bball Index, Porter Jr. is in the 98.2nd percentile in terms of shot-making this season, putting him just ahead of Kevin Durant and just behind Luka Doncic, squarely in the league’s top 10.
By all accounts, Mike has been incredible this season and is thriving in a larger role. He’s looking like the player he was projected to be as a prospect, before all of his injuries. He talked about plateauing in Denver, and perhaps he was right, as he now looks like an All-Star caliber player with room for improvement.
MPJ trade looks like massive overpay by Nuggets
It’s painful enough seeing Porter Jr. start to reach his potential after leaving Denver, but the slow offensive start by Cam Johnson has only made it worse. Cam has played much better of late, and his three-point shooting has stabilized, but still, he’s averaging just 11.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists a game on the season.
Obviously, the situation isn’t apples to apples; the Nuggets aren’t looking for Johnson to take on a primary role and score 25 points a night, but on the surface, it’s hard to make the case right now that the Nuggets got the better player in the deal.
The Nets are absolutely thrilled with the deal, and according to reports, there’s already trade interest in Porter Jr. around the league. But what’s really making this hurt is that even if you want to argue that Johnson is a better fit for the Nuggets than MPJ, they still gave up their 2031 unprotected first-round pick, which is already starting to look ridiculous.
It’s hard to say the Nuggets got fleeced or anything like that, but it really drives home how important it is that this trade ultimately works out. And unfortunately, the only way it “works out” is if the Nuggets go on to win at least one more title with this core.