Perhaps more than any player in the NBA today, Michael Porter Jr. is the actualization of positional size, a basketball principle that drives front offices such as Denver’s.
He’s a “small forward” only in title, towering over most wings with a 6-foot-10 stature that doubles the potency of his 3-pointer. There is no such thing as a contested shot for Porter, who’s 42% from the perimeter this season.
Atlanta’s Trae Young represents the polar opposite of positional size. Naturally, that makes Porter one of his fondest admirers.
It helps that they’re longtime friends. But the Nuggets sharpshooter recognizes that not everyone is fortunate enough to have his bird’s eye view. Even more impressive, then, when a player can carve out a career as successful as Young’s at 6-foot-1.
“There’s not many dudes his height, his size, ever, that have been able to do what he’s done,” Porter said on Wednesday after Denver’s 139-120 win over Young’s Hawks. “He’s led the league in (total) points. He’s led the league in assists. I think it’s pretty remarkable how good he is for his stature. He’s one of the most skilled players in the league.”
Porter and Young have worked out together during the summers, continuing a tradition of comradery that dates back to their teenage days as top prospects. Both were in the high school class of 2017. Both lived in college towns — Porter in Columbia, Mo., and Young in Norman, Okla. They briefly met at a camp, then they were reintroduced when Young joined MOKAN, the Kansas City-based AAU program that Porter played for.
Together, they led MOKAN to a Peach Jam championship, a crown jewel for AAU teams in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. Porter was a consensus top-three recruit in the class. Young was generally regarded as a top-25 prospect.
“They put us through practices on the weekend that were harder than any college practice, any NBA practice, any training camp,” Porter recalled. “So we would all go down to Kansas City, and me and Trae would spend the night at my coach’s house. And we would have like two or three days (when) we would watch film for like an hour. … That’s when Trae and me got really close, just throughout those summers. And then we always planned on going to college together. Obviously, that didn’t work out. But yeah, he’s been one of my best friends since.”
Porter attended Missouri for an injury-hampered season. Young’s stock skyrocketed at Oklahoma, where he became the No. 5 pick in the 2018 draft. Porter went 14th to Denver.
Young’s play-making has been the ignition key for an exciting Hawks offense this season. He’s averaging a career-high 12.0 assists per game, which leads the league, and he amassed 30 points and nine assists in Denver on New Year’s Day.
As for Porter, he’s gaining traction toward his own potential career year. As of Thursday, 51 players in the NBA had attempted 180 or more 3-pointers this season. Only six of those players had a higher percentage than Porter (41.9% on 198 attempts), and none of those six were within an inch of Porter’s height.
“I always just noticed how competitive (Young is),” he said. “Like, he’s always been smaller, but he had such an edge to him, such a competitive nature.”
Strawther on fouling jump shooters
One of the biggest ongoing struggles for second-year guard Julian Strawther at the defensive end has been fouling jump-shooters. He was caught red-handed again on Wednesday, but the late call left him (and coach Michael Malone) visibly miffed. It was one of several delayed whistles that went Atlanta’s way on jump shots. Young leaned into Christian Braun multiple times to draw three-shot calls.
Strawther has said repeatedly that he needs to stop committing those fouls — but part of his reality within that growth process, he acknowledged Wednesday, is that he’s getting a young player’s whistle.
If an opponent tries to sell contact, Strawther is less likely to get the benefit of the doubt from officials than more experienced and reputed defenders.
“It’s been pretty frustrating on some of the calls, I feel like,” he said. “Yeah, I feel like just being a younger guy and being in the area is going to put you in jeopardy of getting something called on you. But yeah, just trying to be as disciplined as possible, stay out of guys’ landing space. Let them shoot the ball. I’m learning.”
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