Michael Porter Jr sent a statement to the Denver Nuggets after he led the Brooklyn Nets to a 127-115 win on Sunday. Porter had a strong outing with 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. For his first game against the team that drafted him, he showed what the Nuggets are missing.
It was a strong performance for the former Missouri star. Throughout the 2025-26 NBA season, Porter has played like a star for the Nets. He’s averaging a career-high in points, rebounds and assists. Through 26 games played, the star forward has put up 25.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 3.3 apg.
After the contest, coach Jordi Fernandez told the media that Porter was looking forward to facing his former team. With that motivation. Fernandez knew that the 6-foot-11 forward would put on a show.
“If I’m in his shoes, I’ll be very excited to play this game. I have no doubt in my mind he’s going to go out & perform on both ends. So it’s an exciting day for for all of us, especially for him.”
Jordi Fernandez on MPJ being motivated vs. the #Nuggets that traded him: "If I'm in his shoes, I'll be very excited to play this game. I have no doubt in my mind he's going to go out & perform on both ends. So it's an exciting day for for all of us, especially for him." #Nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) January 4, 2026
Although the Nets are 11-22 this season, the future is looking bright with Porter’s emergence as a star.
Michael Porter Jr. believes that the Nets have the confidence to give him the green light every game
Michael Porter believes that the Nets trust him on the floor, which has allowed him to have the best year of his career, so far. In every game, Porter has the green light to shoot the basketball, which explains why he’s attempting a career-high 18.5 shots per game.
The NBA forward expressed his belief in the team’s faith in him after the victory.
“I think that when an organization believes in you and they reiterate confidence and there’s positive attitudes and positive vibes whether you win or lose or whether you have good games or bad games that can change a whole player’s production, it can change his confidence…I think Jordi and the whole Nets organization does a great job instilling confidence in players,” Porter said.
The Nets may have some work to do in rebuilding a competitive squad. However, Pirter’s rise to stardom has given the team the chance to have a foundation and surround him with the right pieces.
