The NBA has seen a few big moves over this current offseason. One player who got dealt away this summer was ex-Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. The 3-point machine now finds himself in Brooklyn, where he’ll be looking to take advantage of a system that will certainly give him more minutes. MPJ is aware of this and is determined to transform himself into an All-Star player.
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Don’t believe me? The 27-year-old admitted it himself in a new video working out alongside Hawks superstar Trae Young. “He trying to get back to the All-Star game, I’m trying to be my first time All-Star,” said Porter Jr. about himself and Trae. As the sweat poured down his face, you could tell that he was putting a lot into this offseason to grow his game.
Trae is confident that this can happen as well. “You’re averaging 25-plus this year. 25-plus easy,” said the two-time All-Star of the Hawks. This would be a massive jump, as he averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists for the Nugs during the 2024-2025 season. Those are pretty good numbers considering he only averaged about 46 touches per game in that very same season.
Trae Young while working out with Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr:
“You’re averaging at least 25… 25 easily”. #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/jfLjiIkGvF
— NetsPress (@NetsPressIG) August 21, 2025
There are a lot of players who talk the talk and don’t walk the walk, but this could happen. MPJ gives the Nets a much-needed scoring punch on the wing, and his ability to create shots off the catch should immediately ease pressure on Cam Thomas.
If he can stay healthy, he could potentially become one of the team’s go-to scorers. His playoff experience could also be used to mentor the young team that Brooklyn has overall.
This could also just be Young gassing MPJ up. It would make sense if that were the case. The two are very close friends and have been since they were young. Porter Jr. once opened up about this during an interview with HoopsHype from the spring of this year.
“We played AAU together. We won a Peach Jam EYBL Championship together. And now, to see him doing what he’s doing in the league is amazing,” stated the then Nuggets player. “At that height and that weight, you know, he’s the best in the world,” Porter added. “Who would have thought, when we were coming up, that he would be in the position he’s in now?”
Calling Trae the best in the world is quite the reach, but also a very sweet thing to say about your dear friend. It’s not that Young doesn’t belong in the conversation for one of the most dynamic game-changers in the league. He’s carried the Hawks on his back since he got drafted back in 2018. It’s only time the franchise gives him some help so the squad can go further.
As for Porter Jr, he’s sort of in a win-win scenario. The Nets were an unbalanced nightmare one year ago. They finished 26-56 and didn’t even qualify for the Play-In. There’s no place to go from here except up, and that takes a great deal of pressure off of a guy who has a good amount of postseason experience.
