The Brooklyn Nets are still looking for their first win of the season, but Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Boston Celtics at least offered a clearer picture of what they have in Michael Porter Jr.
Porter put together his strongest night of the young season, finishing with a team-high 27 points on 50% shooting from the field in the 125-124 defeat. He also hit six 3-pointers, and several of those makes came with heavy pressure attached, enough to draw a reaction from Boston color analyst Brian Scalabrine and the broadcast crew.
"He ain't Steph Curry, but he's not that far behind," Scalabrine said after one of Porter's makes.
The scoring has been there all season. Through four games, Porter has scored at least 26 points in three of them while shooting 40.5% on 3-point attempts. In other words, Brooklyn hasn’t just gotten volume from him - it’s gotten efficiency and range, the kind of perimeter production that can carry an offense on a given night.
Against Boston, he added a different layer too. Porter grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, showing the kind of growth Brooklyn wants from him beyond shot-making alone.
At Nets Media Day, general manager Sean Marks pointed to that broader development when talking about what the team wants from its second-year forward.
"So for Mike to come in here and own that opportunity that he had and have a great year, I think we’re looking for consistency for him," Marks said. "We’re looking for him to take another step on the defensive end of it, rebounding end of it. Just become more of a complete player."
Porter has started to deliver on that front, too. He’s been active in passing lanes and around the rim, averaging 2.3 steals per game so far, and he added two blocks against the Celtics with emphatic rejections.
Brooklyn’s best stretch of the early season may have still ended in a loss, but Porter’s role inside it is becoming hard to miss. He has been the Nets’ most reliable scoring threat, and his production against Boston only reinforced that case. He has also thrived in his past three games against the Pistons, averaging 25.7 points per game.
In Other News...
Nets Let A Winnable Road Game Slip Away At The Worst Time
Brooklyn had every reason to feel good about how it had fought its way into a tight finish in Boston, especially with rookie Mikel Brown Jr. giving the Nets a burst of life in the fourth quarter. He scored 13 points in the period, and for a stretch it looked like Brooklyn might steal a road game it had no business controlling for long stretches.
Instead, a late mistake gave the Celtics the opening they needed in a game that was already hanging by a thread. The Nets left with a 125-124 overtime loss, a brutal ending in a matchup that had been there for the taking and will linger because the final possession turned from a chance to close it out into another reminder of how thin the margin is on the road. [Read more 🡒]
Why The Nets Wanted No Part Of Jaylen Brown
When Boston came calling with a trade idea for Jaylen Brown, the Nets reportedly didnt need long to think it over. According to league insider Brian Lewis, Brooklyn passed on the offer because Browns close relationship with Kyrie Irving was part of the package, and the organization was wary of reopening old doors it had worked hard to close.
For the Nets, it was less about Browns talent than the memory attached to the move. League sources said Brooklyn wanted no part of anything that could resemble another Kyrie Irving situation, a reminder of how much the franchise still measures potential additions against the turbulence that came with Irvings stint there. Brown eventually landed with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he is playing now, but the reason Brooklyn backed away says plenty about the standards the team is applying to its roster decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Nets May Have Avoided A Bigger Egor Demin Scare
Egor Demins night ended early in Boston after he left with a right leg contusion and never returned, a frustrating turn in an overtime loss for the Nets. The injury came after a collision with Paul George, and Brooklyn was left to sort through another short-handed finish while trying to assess how much trouble its rookie guard was really in.
Demin offered a calmer read after the game, saying the issue does not appear serious and that he expects to be back in a couple of days. Even so, there was still some uncertainty about whether he would need imaging, and his availability for Fridays matchup with the Detroit Pistons remains up in the air. [Read more 🡒]