Sources: Denver Nuggets' Star Could Be Done For The Season


Two weeks ago, on a seemingly innocuous play, the Denver Nuggets lost the services—for what they termed "the foreseeable future"—of their star forward Michael Porter Jr. 

Now it appears that Porter Jr.'s latest back injury may, in fact, keep him out for the rest of the season.  

League sources told The Denver Post's Mike Singer that the nerve issue in Porter's back could require surgery, which would end his 2021-22 season. 

The 23-year-old forward signed a 5-year max rookie extension in the offseason, but managed to play only 9 games this year before re-injuring his back on a layup attempt on Nov. 6th. 

This is a very serious situation for Porter, who's already had two back surgeries in his young career. He missed four months of his college season at Missouri, then missed his entire rookie season with Denver after his 2nd surgery. 

The league source says they are seeking more opinions on how to treat this nerve issue, but that surgery is, indeed, a possibility. 

Porter had been hampered by the back issues in the 9 games he did play this year, averaging just 9.9 points, on just 20.8% shooting from three-point range, and 36% from the field overall. 

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