Michael Porter Jr. Cleared for Contact, Targeting March Return
When Michael Porter Jr. had back surgery in November 2021, it was expected that he would miss the remainder of the 2021-22 NBA season. Less than three months later, MPJ is ahead of schedule and targeting a return to action sometime in March. The first step is resuming contact drills, which are anticipated to start next week.
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., is progressing to be cleared for on-court contact within the next week, freeing a path for him to return to the lineup sometime in March, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Story: https://t.co/kGgAmFvgZs
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 27, 2022
Porter Jr. has appeared in just nine games for the Nuggets this season. The back injury likely played a role in his diminished stats, as the third-year small forward averaged only 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in just over 29 minutes per game.
The Nuggets have gotten by just fine with Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green at small and power forward, respectively. Green will likely be relegated to bench duties once MPJ is fully healthy.
For now, Denver is focused on the task at hand, and that's getting past the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night. The Nuggets closed as -8.5 favorites, and there's a live line up at FanDuel Sportsbook.
