Michael Porter Jr. injury status uncertain heading into Game 3

Late in the fourth quarter of Game 2, Michael Porter Jr. sustained a left shoulder injury while diving for a loose ball. He was on the floor for a while in obvious pain before asking out of the game. After, he told reporters that the injury was a “joint sprain” and the pain he felt was some of the worst he’d ever felt in his career.

That’s notable coming from Michael Porter Jr., survivor of three separate back surgeries and still playing high level basketball.

On the injury report this afternoon, Porter’s official status popped up as “Questionable” ahead of Game 3 vs the Los Angeles Clippers. The Nuggets are traveling on the road to California, and Porter’s ultimate status will likely be determined by how his shoulder responds to treatment over the next few days.

At practice earlier today, interim head coach David Adelman shared that he’s “very optimistic” about Porter’s status for Game 3 while crediting his toughness and overall level of pain tolerance.

“I don’t think he gets enough credit for how tough he is and what’s he played through these last few years,” Adelman shared. “His pain threshold is something that people don’t understand, don’t get that he deals with it all year long.”

“Do I know that Mike’s going to play? No. But I do know that if Mike can play, he will. So, trust Mike.”

After a difficult Game 1 in which Porter scored just three points on four shot attempts, the Nuggets starting small forward bounced back with 15 points and 15 rebounds in Game 2, hitting some important shots and making an impact with his hustle throughout the game. It was a notable showing of mental toughness, but Porter will now be asked to show even more for the rest of this series (and if lucky, for longer in these playoffs) following what may be a significant injury that impedes him in some ways. It’s not his shooting shoulder, but that shouldn’t make it any less painful.

If Porter is unable to play in Game 3, the Nuggets will have a couple decisions to make. First, who starts in Porter’s place? Two solutions come to mind: Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson. With Westbrook, the Nuggets are simply playing someone they’ve trusted with heavy minutes already in this series (29.0 minutes per game). Westbrook will add energy, playmaking, and defense to the group. In addition, he’s shooting 5-of-12 from three-point range so far and has been reliable as a corner three-point shooter all season. Watson is another solution, perhaps the more prototypical small forward replacement for Porter. Watson has averaged 14.0 minutes per game in this series and is a lower usage player with perhaps a higher probability of slowing down Kawhi Leonard, who torched the Nuggets for 39 points on 19 shot attempts in Game 2.

Second, how do the Nuggets fill in bench minutes? Could Julian Strawther get an opportunity as a bench floor spacer? Could Zeke Nnaji get an opportunity as a forward with size/athleticism to match up with the Clippers wings? It’s unclear what the Nuggets should try and do here, and it’s unclear what Adelman’s preferences are in these moments since Game 3 is just Adelman’s sixth career game on the job.

Here’s an example of a projected rotation chart that sees Peyton Watson start in place of Michael Porter Jr. that includes bench minutes for Zeke Nnaji and Russell Westbrook closing the game.