Just by looking at him, the casual person wouldn’t be able to tell that Nikola Jokic is arguably the best player in the NBA. The three-time MVP’s former teammate, Michael Porter Jr., used to be among those people. Even in his first training camp with the Denver Nuggets, MPJ didn’t see the hype with the Serbian star.
Advertisement
Unlike other prospects his age, Michael Porter Jr. didn’t watch much NBA. Although that was his end goal, the basketball content he consumed was of a skill level closer to his. “Going into the Nuggets, I didn’t really follow the NBA much before I got to the NBA,” Porter Jr. said on the Glory Daze podcast. “I always focused on my age group. When I was in high school, I was watching high school dudes. When I was in college, I was watching my friends who were in college.”
Porter Jr. didn’t want to lose sight of his competition around him. His collegiate year at Missouri was different though, since he missed most of his freshman season with an injury. As a result, he supported his friends such as Trae Young and Deandre Ayton, whenever he watched college basketball.
After the Nuggets selected Porter Jr. in the 2018 NBA Draft, he prepared for training camp. MPJ was rehabbing from a back injury in his rookie season. He didn’t partake in training camp activities, but was present with the rest of the team. Of course, he knew of Nikola Jokic, but nothing about the 6-foot-11 big man necessarily stood out.
“He wasn’t the superstar he is now when I first got drafted,” Porter Jr. said. “I really didn’t see it at first. Everybody keeps telling me he’s that cold. But in training camp, him and Mason Plumlee, our backup center, are going head-to-head.”
Porter Jr. was under the assumption that his teammates had begun to overhype Jokic’s skill. Nevertheless, they implored Porter Jr. that Jokic is the real deal.
“They were like, ‘No Mike, wait till the real games come. You’re going to see that this dude’s a problem,'” Porter Jr. said. That is exactly what happened. “I quickly found out that he is him. He is the best player in the world,” Porter Jr. proclaimed.
Porter Jr. won’t make the same mistake to ever question the Joker’s greatness ever again. MPJ had the privilege of playing alongside Jokic for the past six seasons. Unfortunately, the next time the two share the court, it will be as opponents following Porter Jr.’s trade to the Brooklyn Nets.
