While appearing on CuriousMike’s YouTube channel, Michael Porter had some remarks about the “never swing the rock,” memes. Memes making fun of the small forward’s willingness to always shoot the ball and his low assist volume. The now one-time NBA champion had this to say:
“I’m one of the best shooters in the league, humbly. I don’t see contests.”
When one takes the time to analyze Porter’s game and how lethal of a shooter he truly is, the former Missouri product does have a point.
Michael Porter Jr. Responds to the Memes
Michael Porter’s Shooting Numbers
Michael Porter was one of the best volume shooters last season. He has the second-most accurate volume three-point shooting start to a career in NBA history. Last season alone, Porter stroked it at a rate of 41.4 percent from beyond the arc. For perspective, his Michael Porter’s career numbers from three-point range are 41.7 percent with his career-best coming in the 2020 season at 44.5 percent. Not to mention, he also tallied a true shooting percentage of 62.1 percent last season.
As if that was not impressive enough, Michael Porter also shot an effective 60.2 percent in terms of adjusted shooting. Porter is one of Nikola Jokic’s favorite teammates as he hits many open three-point attempts due to the double teams the Finals MVP often draws. With his silky smooth form and deadeye ability, Michael Porter is one Denver’s most important pieces. Without him, their offense would be nowhere near as potent as it was during their championship season.
His Impact for the Denver Nuggets
Michael Porter has evolved his game to more than just a catch-and-shoot scorer. His length has allowed him to block and contest more shots and he has even shown more skill coming off the dribble. This past year, MPJ averaged a block percentage of 1.4 percent to go along with a defensive rebounding percentage of 17.2 percent.
Porter’s strength is still clearly his shooting. So much so, that his teammates have expressed their desire to see him shoot the rock even more than Porter already does during a game. The All-Star potential is there in Michael Porter and it could just be a matter of time before he becomes the legitimate third star (behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray) on the defending champion, Denver Nuggets. Expect big things from the sharpshooting small forward this coming season.
