The Brooklyn Nets got a much-needed boost Monday night with Michael Porter Jr. returning to the lineup after missing two games due to lower back tightness. Facing the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center, Porter was officially cleared alongside Noah Clowney, who had been dealing with left hip soreness. Both were initially listed as probable earlier in the day but were upgraded to available in the afternoon.
While Porter’s return brings welcome firepower, the Nets were still far from full strength. Terance Mann missed his first game of the season with right rib soreness, while Cam Thomas remained sidelined for the 11th straight game due to a left hamstring strain.
Thomas is expected to be re-evaluated in the coming weeks. Haywood Highsmith, still recovering from right knee surgery, is on a similar recovery timeline.
Rookie Nolan Traore continues his development stint in the G League.
Porter’s absence over the last two games was clearly felt. With Thomas already out, Porter had been Brooklyn’s most consistent scoring threat, averaging 24.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
He’s been efficient, too - shooting 48% from the field, 36% from three, and 83% from the stripe. Without him, the Nets’ offense took a noticeable hit, managing just a 105.8 offensive rating and shooting 43.2% from the floor over those two games.
But there was a silver lining. Porter’s time off opened the door for Brooklyn’s rookies to step into larger roles - and they didn’t waste the opportunity.
Egor Demin turned heads with a 23-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist, 2-block performance against the Sixers on Friday. Not to be outdone, Danny Wolf followed that up with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and a block against the Bucks on Saturday.
Neither game resulted in a win, but the rookies showed they’re ready to compete at this level.
Head coach Jordi Fernández praised the team’s resilience, pointing to the “next man up” mentality that’s been a theme since last season. “Porter creates a lot of attention and he’s done a great job,” Fernández said.
“But you know, having the next man mentality throughout the whole last season we had to deal with that a lot, and even this year unfortunately CT being out as well. So, these guys are doing a great job.
They’ll be ready. There’s opportunities.
And I think that whoever is going to take that spot in the minutes they’re going to go play really hard.”
That mentality will be tested again with Mann now out and no clear timeline for his return. Tyrese Martin figures to see a bump in minutes, along with rookies Wolf, Drake Powell, and Ben Saraf.
Mann had been a steady contributor early in the season, averaging 11.9 points on 52.9% shooting over the Nets’ first eight games. But his production had cooled off recently, dipping to 6.4 points per game on 35.8% shooting across his last 11 appearances.
For a Nets team still trying to find its rhythm amid a wave of injuries, Porter’s return is a stabilizing force. But if these last few games have shown anything, it’s that the young core is ready to step up - and that could pay dividends down the line.