Denver Nuggets could be getting back Michael Porter Jr., who has been out since suffering a back injury that required a lumbar spine surgery, could be making his return as soon as March. While we do not have the day pinned yet, we do have the reported month.
It has been reported by ESPN, and more outlets, that Porter Jr. is progressing to be cleared for on-court activities involving contact. Once cleared, he can ramp-up his workload ahead of his return to the court in March.
There is also word that Jamal Murray could make his return by the postseason; again, that would be another big name for Denver to try to get back. He tore his ACL last season against the Warriors with less than a minute to go in that game.
To have those two players will surely have an impact on the 36-25 Nuggets.
The Nuggets beat the Blazers 124-92 last night; Denver plays at home against the Thunder come this Wednesday.
Michael Porter Jr.’s Brother Sentenced 6 Years For Fatal DUI Crash
Coban Porter, the brother of Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter, has been given a sentence of six years due to his involvement in a fatal DUI crash. The former University of Denver basketball player received his punishment surrounding a case in January of 2023. Janet Oravetz of 9News confirmed this.
According to Shelly Bradbury of the Denver Post, Michael testified on Coban’s behalf when speaking about the incident involving Porter and 42-year-old Katharina Rothman. Sadly, Rothman was tragically killed in this accident.
Jason Blanch was in the passenger seat when he suffered serious injuries. Porter has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide (DUI) and vehicular assault (DUI) as part of a plea agreement, confirmed by Oravetz.
Due to his agreeing to a plea deal, Porter is only facing six years in prison. This is compared to the potential 24 years he could have spent in Prison without the deal. With the plea deal, the max he could have spent was eight years.
According to a statement by the Denver police, Porter was driving 50 miles per hour and ran a red light when this accident occurred. When tested, his blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit – according to police. The statement also said he was slurring his words and smelled of alcohol.
The Nuggets have been without their scoring forward for a month now, however, things are about to change for the better with him scheduled to return to action on Friday. Porter suffered a heel contusion that’s caused him to miss the Nuggets last 13 games.
Tonight’s game against the Trail Blazers will mark the first time he has played in a game since November 22nd.
Overall, this team will theoretically be better as he is currently averaging 16 points and 6 rebounds – a great start before he got injured.
Porter has been an injury-riddled player that has suffered various injuries throughout his career – college or pro. Most notably concerning the back and knee, he had back surgery last season that forced him to miss majority of the season.
Denver is hoping that Porter can return to his normal self and become less injury-ridden. It should also be pointed out that the Nuggets will be one step closer to being fully healthy for their Christmas Day matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
Michael Porter Jr done for awhile with an aggravating back issue!
Michael Porter Jr done for awhile with an aggravating back issue! “foreseeable future” for Michael Porter Jr, Denver Nuggets’ forward, as he is dealing with back injuries. He has been injury-prone when it comes to the back and this time it is no different.
Mike Malone has no idea when he is going to be able to come back as he suffered the injury on Saturday. This past Saturday was against the Houston Rockets, Houston was not able to beat Denver as the Nuggets won 95-94. The single point game was such a close game that it could have gone either way.
“Michael could be back in a week. It could be more than that. I don’t know. When I say foreseeable future, I don’t really know what that means. I just know he’s not playing tonight.”
Mike Malone on Michael Porter Jr, per Sports Yahoo
His return to the game will be halted as he isn’t going to play anytime soon. As stated before, he has had a long history of injuries with the back – this one is no different. Porter recently signed his max contract that now could be haunting this time… just as much as this layup is haunting Porter:
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