Michael Porter Jr. might be in for a rude awakening in Brooklyn

Michael Porter Jr. has always possessed the potential to be a star. He wanted the ball, the spotlight and the chance to break out of the “third wheel” role behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Denver. So, Porter finally got his wish, landing in Brooklyn earlier this offseason. But beneath the excitement of a new start, Porter might be in for a rude awakening, in the NBA’s version of trading filet mignon for stale, week-old pizza.

"That's how we play. I'm so appreciative of the way we played. We ended up winning a championship, but I do feel like my ceiling in Denver kind of plateaued a little bit. I'm excited for this next chapter in Brooklyn, for sure."

It’s a whole different ball game now

The Nuggets spent years building a championship culture in the fresh air and altitude, while running everything through Joker’s genius and Murray’s clutch shot-making. Porter, an excellent third option (at times), enjoyed wide-open threes while cruising through the pressure of high-stakes playoff basketball.

Now, Brooklyn isn’t just a new zip code, it’s a basketball wasteland still reeling from a 26-win campaign. For Porter, this means swapping chasing titles for getting as many shots as he likes on a team that probably won’t win 30 games.

Every night in Denver, Porter suited up for a team where winning was the ultimate goal. He could pick his spots, focus on shooting over 40 percent from deep, and let Jokic and Murray take the heat when things got tough. That won’t nearly be the case with the Nets. There’s no MVP to clean up mistakes and the Nets aren’t scaring anyone in the East. Suddenly, “just fitting in” will feel like a luxury. As it stands right now, Porter will be the main man in Brooklyn next season. He's gone from playing with arguably the best player in the world to players Nets' front office could barely pick out of a lineup.

Impact is all about perspective

Without Jokic and Murray, all eyes will be on Porter in Brooklyn. Porter is about to find out what happens when defenses key in on him first and foremost. Sure, he’ll get more shots. However, Porter will also see more double teams, more teams’ best defenders and game plans constructed to stop him specifically. He wanted the keys, and that’s exactly what Porter will get. It might be a hoopty, but he’s now in charge of driving down the road of success.

Many of Porter’s should increase in Brooklyn. Don’t be shocked if he posts multiple career highs. But if the majority of those buckets come in meaningless losses, do they even matter? The NBA is filled with guys who put up stats on bad teams. After all, someone has to score, right? Nuggets fans know the difference between impactful performances that lead to winning and stat padding to stuff box scores. So do Nets fans and they’re tired of the latter.