Michael Porter Jr. Quietly Made Significant Leap in Brooklyn Last Season

The Nets forward had the best statistical season of his career, but his improvement goes beyond the traditional counting stats.

Nov 16, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) looks to pass over Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) during the first quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Brooklyn Nets have one of the league’s most interesting rosters, and one of their stars has quietly been making a key leap.

Last season, the Nets didn’t have any notable moments on their way to finishing with one of the worst records in the league. Tanking throughout the season left most eyes around the league to skip over what was taking place in Brooklyn.

While that’s typical of the national landscape in the modern NBA, it also left many to chalk up Michael Porter Jr.’s scoring increase to higher usage. Obviously, that’s a fair point, given that Porter was the top option in Brooklyn after spending his entire career as a sidekick and role player alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

Porter’s usage jump certainly played a role in his scoring average jumping to a career-best 24.2 last season, but one key area of his game also played a significant part in his leap. Along with shooting a career-high in field goal attempts, Porter’s free-throw attempts were also easily the highest of his career.

Jumping from 2.5 attempts in his final year in Denver to 4.4 attempts in Brooklyn, Porter’s ability to get to the stripe was on full display. Also nailing a career-high 85.9% of his shots from the line, Porter not only showed his ability to get to the line, but he also showed a near-elite ability to knock down his free throws.

While his leap at the line last season is quite notable, it’s also important to note that Porter’s 2.5 attempts a year prior marked his career-high at the time. With his best free-throw attempt rate since his strange rookie season in 2024-25, Porter built on that tremendously in 2025-26.

In one season, Porter went from averaging .185 free throw attempts per field goal attempt to .237. While it might not seem like much, one of the biggest questions surrounding Porter’s stats in Brooklyn was whether they were only a product of higher usage or a legitimate leap.

Considering how valuable it is to get to the line and how intertwined it is with the skillsets of the best scorers in the league, Porter’s free-throw numbers are a great sign for the Nets. This summer, Porter’s future is up in the air a bit, and his time remaining in Brooklyn could range anywhere from days to years, but it’s clear that his lone season with the Nets has proven Porter can continue to be a high-volume scorer.