Michael Porter Jr. Breaks Down His New Role With the Brooklyn Nets

For the last six seasons, Michael Porter Jr. was an integral part of the Denver Nuggets as the organization contended for (and eventually won) an NBA championship. The 2019 first-round pick quickly found his footing in the league and rose as one of the better scorers for his role.

Porter was nothing more than a tertiary option for the Nuggets, but still managed to put up big numbers. Just last season, he averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game under Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and even Aaron Gordon at times.

Now, the 27-year-old will put on a different jersey for the first time in his NBA career. Porter was traded to the Brooklyn Nets this offseason for Cam Johnson, and with a new team comes new opportunties.

The Nets are in the midst of a rebuild, with a league-record five first-round picks set to make their league debuts. Porter will have more responsibilities as an on-ball scorer, as detailed in the most recent episode of Nets Film Focus.

"Being in Denver with the player we had, everybody had to fit a little bit different of a role," Porter said. "But over here, I know my role's going to be different. Working with these guys, and really getting comfortable in some of those positions is going to be super important for me."

Even though Porter will have more opportunities to score on the ball, his off-ball movements will carry into his time in Brooklyn. With the Nuggets, he found plenty of baskets when cutting to the rim, getting passes from elite distributors like Jokic and Murray.

"Even playing these pickup games [with Nets players], these guys have found me on a lot of cuts. So it's definitely something I'm going to continue over here," Porter said.

The 6-foot-10 wing also talked about his responsibilities as a playmaker. With the ball in his hands a lot more, there are also opportunities to make plays for teammates, especially a young, developing group.

"Out here, obviously, it's going to be a lot different," Porter said. "I'm going to have the ball in my hands a lot more. I gotta be able to find my teammates, get to the paint and draw defenders, and then kick out for threes, things like that."

It will be interesting to see how Porter meshes with fellow star Cam Thomas. The two have a reputation for holding onto the ball and not really being distributors, but their offensive prowess is still impressive. The Nets could see a significant jump in offensive production with Porter joining Thomas in Brooklyn.