Michael Porter Jr. gives the real reason why he does not like passing the ball image
Over the years, Michael Porter Jr. has earned a reputation as a bit of a ball-hog. Naturally, he is one of the best shooters in the NBA, but when the ball is swung to him, he does not make the extra pass even if it's the better option.
Some have even dubbed him Michael "Never Swing the Rock" Porter Jr. That is a wild nickname, but it seems the Brooklyn Nets forward has an explanation for his approach to basketball, which dates back to his Denver Nuggets days.
Michael Porter Jr. reveals why he never swings the rock
Porter has backed up his reputation because he is a career 39.8% three-point shooter. Considering he puts up 6.4 threes per game, that is a very impressive clip from beyond the arc. That lessens the blow of him not passing to his open teammates because he makes them quite often.
It seems Porter is also well aware of the narrative around his unwillingness to swing the rock. Even former Nuggets teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been on record that he does not expect to get the ball if MPJ has it.
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Since the nickname has dealt a blow to his reputation a bit, MPJ has naturally come to his own defense. He wants people to know the real reason why he focused on getting his shots up during his Nuggets days.
"In the game, I'm telling you, it feels open, but I'm looking back in the film like that swing, we would've had a better one. Everything feels open to me; I'm over the top with a (high) release point," Porter said in response to KCP's claims of not getting the ball when the former has the ball.
"Over there in that system, we had the best player in the world who touches the ball in every position; we had Jamal, who's very dominant, a guard who likes to score the ball... When it comes to my way, it's not time to keep playmaking."
It is a pretty fair point to make because the Nuggets did need his shooting. With Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray making the plays, his role was to shoot, and he did just that. Of course, making the extra pass would have been nice from time to time, but it did end up in a championship in 2023.
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