Nuggets' Porter will undergo back surgery, could reportedly miss season
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. will be out indefinitely after he undergoes surgery on his lower back this Wednesday, his agent told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
According to Porter's representative, an exact timetable on his return to action will be established following his procedure. However, the 23-year-old is expected to miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.
After averaging a career-best 19 points per game last season, Porter struggled mightily in the early going of 2021-22. In 29.4 minutes a night across nine outings, the 6-foot-10 forward averaged just 9.9 points on an atrocious effective field goal rate of 40.8%, plus 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest.
He hasn't appeared in a game since a truncated appearance against the Houston Rockets on Nov. 6.
Porter had two major back surgeries prior to his professional debut in 2019. The first came in November 2017 during his lone season at Missouri, while the second was in July 2018 after he was selected 14th overall by the Nuggets in that year's draft.
Porter's five-year, $172.6-million extension begins in 2022-23.