Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. will undergo a surgical procedure on his lower back and miss an indefinite period of time, his agent Mark Bartelstein told Adrian Wojnarowski.
Bartelstein also said that Porter is expected to make a full recovery and an official timetable on his return will come after surgery, which is scheduled for Dec. 1.
The indefinite period of time Porter will miss will likely turn into the rest of the season, according to Shams Charania.
It’s a key loss for the Nuggets, but Porter signed a five-year extension with the Nuggets earlier this season that will kick in next season, so he and the team are taking a big-picture approach to his health.
A recent report indicated that the 23-year-old was dealing with a nerve issue in his back and he wanted to try to find a non-surgical approach.
This will be the third back surgery for Porter who also had surgery in his only year in college and the other before his rookie season in 2018 which pushed back his NBA debut.
In nine games this season, Porter averaged 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 29.4 minutes per game.
The Nuggets will now be without Porter, Jamal Murray (recovering from a torn ACL) and P.J. Dozier (recently suffered a torn ACL) long-term, and Nikola Jokic has missed the team’s last four games due to a wrist injury, but is expected back soon.
