The worst news is starting to roll in on Michael Porter Jr .. After an erratic start to the campaign and what seemed like a minor back ailment, Mike Singer of Denver Post has announced that the Denver Nuggets forward’s season could be in jeopardy after a major nerve problem has been detected in his back.
According to the sources of the aforementioned media, the Colorado organization has given its player a week of margin to re-evaluate his condition before considering other treatments; In other words, the option of going under the knife seems to be taking shape after it initially seemed like something almost ruled out.
Asked about the status of his ward, Michael Malone has confirmed that Porter Jr. is currently in Miami, where they are analyzing treatment options for his back. The problem, after days in which it was not clear, is localized; However, the daily sessions that she has been receiving for two weeks to make her pain subside have not worked.
It was on November 6, against the Phoenix Suns, when the young Nuggets player had to leave the court unexpectedly after an action in which he seemed to suffer a strained back. For a few minutes he was uncomfortable to later go to the changing rooms. Shortly after from Denver they stressed that it could be an absence of only a few days, but that it was necessary to wait. It’s been two weeks and it hasn’t improved. The plan from the get-go was to be cautious, and that hasn’t changed.
Disturbing history
This is the reason for much of the concern surrounding Michael Porter Jr.’s situation. Shortly after entering the NCAA, he suffered a serious back injury. To be exact, he was forced to undergo a microdiscectomy to repair a bulging disc. Such intervention led him to play only three games with Missouri before making the jump to the NBA; which arrived in the same way with enormous doubts from the franchises regarding his physical condition.
That the teams were not clear about it is normal. Before debuting, he underwent a second back procedure, this one in July 2018, which led him to completely miss what should have been his rookie season with the Nuggets, a team that selected him 14th in the draft. However, it cannot be said that those from Colorado were wrong, since in the following two seasons he played most of the games showing a high level and constantly progressing.
Renewal for the maximum
That’s how it is. Fate has wanted this setback to come just after renewing for the maximum with Denver. Porter Jr. signed this past summer a five-year, $ 172.6 million extension, which stands as a benchmark for the present and future of the Nuggets. For now he has not been able to respond to it, since in the nine games he played until he was injured, he had an average of 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per night, far from the 19 points and 7.3 rebounds he scored in the 2020-21 academic year. We hope that this new ailment does not have a great journey and is back as soon as possible.
(Photo by Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
