Warriors' Draymond Green Praises Nets Star Michael Porter Jr.

Golden State's four-time champion had good things to say about Brooklyn's newest star, comparing opportunities from his time as a Denver Nugget to now.

Dec 29, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin (8) knocks the ball away from Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets couldn't quite close 2025 with a win, suffering just their fourth loss of December to the Golden State Warriors, 120-107 at home. The team will finish what has been an incredibly fun month of hoops with a surprising 7-4 record, as well as the best defensive rating of the month (105.4).

Brooklyn kept it close with Golden State for most of the night, until the Warriors outscored the Nets 31-22 in the fourth quarter. Stephen Curry had one his classic performances from deep, scoring 27 points and five three-pointers, while Jimmy Butler III managed to supplement that with 21 points of his own. Their bench also outscored Brooklyn's 58-27.

Still, the Nets saw a huge night from Michael Porter Jr., who tied Curry with 27 points and five assists. These performances from the team's newest star are becoming normal, with the 6-foot-10 forward forming a legitimate case to make his first NBA All-Star appearance.

Porter managed to shoot 10-for-18 from the field and 5-for-9 from three, reflecting his overall efficiency and consistency this season. He's now averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 50-41-81 shooting across 26 games.

Of the players averaging more than 25 points per game this season, Porter is one of four players shooting at least 49% from the field and 40% from three. He has been a catalyst in keeping Brooklyn's offense afloat while the defense has been spectacular.

Many opponents have taken note of the 27-year-old's improvement from his six seasons playing for the Denver Nuggets to now. Following the game, Draymond Green gave Porter some praise and noted that this is what many thought he could be coming out of college in 2018, via Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.

"It's different, he didn't have as much freedom in Denver," Green said. "Didn't have the ball in his hands as much in Denver. But he's showing that he's the player that everybody thought or knew he was coming out of college. He's finally getting to show that, and he's playing really well."

Porter received a fair share of criticism for his play style while with the Nuggets. He was one of the team's top scoring options, and backed it up statistically, but he also earned a reputation of shooting the ball a lot, and Denver ultimately moved on from him this past offseason, getting a more 3&D-heavy forward in Johnson.