“I was playing with one arm”: Michael Porter Jr. gets brutally honest in emotional farewell to Denver

This offseason, Michael Porter Jr. saw his tenure with the Denver Nuggets come to an end. As he prepares for the next chapter of his career, the veteran forward opened up on his final days with his old team.

Denver had championship aspirations heading into the playoffs, but ended up falling short of their goals. They had a pair of highly-competitive series, eventually being eliminated by the OKC Thunder in seven rounds in round two. One of their biggest drawbacks was a dip in production from a key player.

After averaging over 18 points per game in the regular season, Porter Jr. mustered just 9.1 PPG in the playoffs. He was drastically limited by a shoulder injury, but wanted to be out there to provide some sort of lift for his team.

In a farewell video he posted to the Nuggets fan base, Michael Porter Jr. opened up on his play in the playoffs. He doesn't like that the final memories of him in Denver will be him playing injured, but he did everything he could for the team given the circumstances.

"I went out there and I tried, but I was playing with one arm. My whole shoulder was popped out, torn, I was putting a needle in it every other day," Porter Jr. said. "Regardless, I went out there and I tried to play."

Moving forward, Porter Jr. now embarks on a new journey as a member of the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets.

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Michael Porter Jr. eager to expand his game with the Brooklyn Nets

Michael Porter Jr. will be entering an entirely new situation with the Brooklyn Nets that comes with positives and negatives. While competing for a title won't be in the cards right away, he is eager to take on a bigger role with his new team.

Playing for the Nuggets, Porter Jr. had a defined role within the offense. He primarily served as a perimeter threat when defenses collapsed on the two-man game of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Porter Jr. had a lot of success in this system, but is looking forward to expanding his game more in Brooklyn.

In his farewell video, Michael Porter Jr. stated that he felt his game hit a ceiling in Denver due to their style of play. Now with the Nets, he is excited about the opportunity to showcase more areas of his offensive arsenal.

"I do feel like my ceiling in Denver kind of plateaued a little bit," Porter Jr. said. "And I'm excited for this next chapter in Brooklyn for sure."

With the Nets have no clear stars at the moment, Porter Jr. is likely to be a featured piece in the offense in 2026.