Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. reveals 2 bold plans with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gone

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The Denver Nuggets might have lost one of their key rotation players in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency, but longtime starter Michael Porter Jr. should be ready to take on more responsibilities ahead of next season. In the offseason, two-time NBA champion KCP signed with the Orlando Magic, boosting their young playoff squad with championship poise and experience. Without the two-way guard, MPJ said he was willing to score even more points.

“There’s no reason why I can’t take my 17 points per game to 20,” the Nuggets swingman said, via a post from Nuggets beat writer Harrison Wind on X, formerly Twitter. “I need to be looking for one or two more 3-pointers in games,” MPJ also added in a separate post.

The Nuggets prepare for another run

Nuggets fans should be excited to hear Michael Porter Jr.’s readiness to score more points in the absence of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. However, it’s just funny that his first thought was even more offense, when KCP was arguably their best two-way player.

Pope may not have locked down the opponents’ best player, but he gave their defense enough time to compose itself and helped get stops when teams tried to pick-and-roll Nikola Jokic to death.

Still, Porter knows his value. Again, arguably, he is the team’s X-factor, and the Nuggets wouldn’t have won a title in 2023 if he hadn’t rounded into his peak offensive capabilities.

While Jokic and Jamal Murray are the team’s 1A and 1B players, MPJ gives the team a scoring punch that’s nearly impossible to scheme for. The Joker alone is almost impossible to defend, and then you add the 6’10” MPJ who can shoot lights-out like a taller Klay Thompson (just without the defense) and you have a championship-level offense.

Per StatMuse, in 12 games for the Nuggets in the 2024 playoffs, Porter averaged 15.8 points on shooting splits of 46.6% from the field and 40.7% from three. More than even Murray, he was the main reason the Nuggets beat the Lakers in two straight playoffs because LA simply had no one to guard him.

Outlook

Likewise, the Timberwolves dethroned them in the semifinals last season because they were able to limit Porter’s production, as he managed to score in double figures only twice in seven games.

The departure of KCP may have knocked the Nuggets just a tier below actual title contenders in the West like the Wolves or the Oklahoma City Thunder. Still, the Nuggs are a dangerous team and a significant roadblock for the new contenders looking for an NBA championship.

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