NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

May 31, 2023

Michael Porter

Denver Nuggets

Media Day

Q. When you were a kid and watching NBA Finals, what's the first one that you really remember paying close attention to that made you feel like I could be there?

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: Yeah, I definitely paid attention to the whole Warriors run, you know what I mean? Growing up, KD was my favorite player. I remember watching his Finals against LeBron, as well.

But it's definitely something as a basketball player, all young kids pay attention to the NBA Finals. To actually be here definitely feels good.

Q. When you were a kid, doing the three, two, one, I assume it was for the championship.

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: Yeah.

Q. Blacktop, driveway, who were you pretending to be?

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: Yeah, I grew up with seven brothers and sisters. We were all home schooled, always be out in the backyard hooping.

But, yeah, no, definitely like I said, KD was my favorite player growing up. I loved the OKC Thunder. Steph Curry was my other favorite player.

To have a chance to be here, play against KD in the Playoffs earlier, it's just cool. Obviously, I'm on the biggest stage now, it's just cool looking back on the journey.

Try not to spend too much time looking back right now. Just stay focused on getting this ring. But you got to take moments to just look back.

Q. Michael, I know you guys talked about it throughout the whole year, but what has KCP meant to you throughout this journey?

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: I think he's the only player in this organization that has won a championship -- I think.

He's been a great voice for us, a great leader. You have to give Calvin Booth some credit, bringing him and Bruce Brown, the leaders we have, Ish Smith, DeAndre Jordan, Jeff.

But KCP specifically has been a great voice for us, constantly talking in the group chat about what we need to do, how we need to prepare. He's become a real good friend of mine off the court, as well, so...

Q. I'm wondering if you could describe what you see as Jokic's leadership style.

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: Yeah, I would say he's definitely the more lead by example type. Earlier someone asked me how I would describe him in one word, I just said consistent. His consistency on the court, his production is amazing.

But off the court it's amazing how he's consistently working on his game, his recovery, his routine is very, very consistent. That's something that I've picked up on. I think it's definitely helped me maintain a level of consistency on the court, as well.

Q. You were talking about Brandon Roy, what he meant to you. What was it like being around an All-Star like that?

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: He definitely means the world to me. That was my high school coach my senior year, won a state championship with him. He really helped me take my game to the next level.

He didn't get on the court too much with us because of his knee. He would get out there once in a while. He could still hoop.

He taught me a lot of things, how to deal with different situations off the court, on the court. But, yeah, definitely my guy. We still talk very often, so...

Q. Michael, I was listening to Paul George's podcast the other day, and he said he watches his own highlights to get his confidence up. I was curious if you do something like that? What is it that you need to get your confidence up to shoot at that level?

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: I don't really need to get my confidence up really. It just kind of stays with me. I think when you're going maybe through a shooting slouch, maybe you want to watch some of your makes, watch the ball go through on tape. I do that once in a while.

But, yeah, I mean, honestly, I like watching my mistakes more than I do my highlights just to see what I can do better on both sides of the ball.

But everyone is different. Everyone is different in the way they prepare for a game, how they get themselves ready.

Q. When you go back at the beginning of the season, what do you think are the most important things that this team improved to come here and now be in the finals for the first time in your history?

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: Yeah, I think this year we've shown a lot of resilience, I think it's been a big one. We've been very good in clutch moments this year. We've been very good protecting home court this year.

I just think our sense of togetherness. The guys in the locker room encouraging each other, things like that, has been better this year than the previous years that I've been here. Not saying it wasn't already good. Like I said, bringing in some of those veteran guys, KCP, DeAndre, Jeff, Ish, Reggie. They definitely help out with that aspect.

Just the steadiness and consistency as a team, not too high, not too low. I think that's helped us just maintain our level of play.

Q. When you're going through those surgeries over the last couple years, trying to get right to get to this biggest stage, is it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, how you can get here at this point?

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: Yeah, I would say there's definitely times. Anyone who has been through rehab or had an injury has those days where it gets very wearisome. One thing that helps me is the capability to put my feelings aside and do what needs to be done.

To this point I just put in the work. I try to take care of my body as well as I can, and I just leave the rest up to God, try to have a faith, if this is what I'm supposed to be doing, he'll keep me healthy. You know what I mean?

That took a lot of, like, pressure off of me. But it's definitely been tough coming back from three surgeries. Try to be grateful for the moment, and still know I have a long way to go to be the player that I want to be. But definitely got to stay grateful.

Q. Michael, you came into the league with a lot of fanfare. You were highly rated coming out of high school and college. How do you balance doing just enough on this team, playing behind Jamal and Nikola, while fighting maybe that urge wanting to do more, knowing you have the capability?

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: Yeah, I think it's definitely a sacrifice thing. I think a lot of players on this team sacrifice. Aaron came from Orlando where he might have been the No. 1 option over there to over here, changing his style of play a little bit. Same with me growing up, always having the ball in my hand, doing a lot of things offensively on the court.

But any good team in the NBA, you know you got to have guys that are willing to play a role, sacrifice if you want to get to the point we're at right now. It's panned out well.

Like I said, it's definitely a balance between sacrificing, still trying to get better, continuing to grow. That just is a mental balance that you have to have.

Q. Could you speak to the defense that Aaron Gordon has played, especially in the Playoffs? He matches up against top scorers. How does that spread through the rest of the starting five?

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: Yeah, he's definitely -- I would say him and KCP are our defensive anchors. Aaron, he guarded first round -- who did he guard? I think he guarded KAT, then KD, then LeBron. He's guarded some high-powered offensive players. He just really has done a good job for us. Even when he's not scoring a whole lot, he's continued to compete on defense. Been an anchor for us on that side.

There's really not a way to describe how valuable he is to our team. I'm looking forward to seeing him do that again in this series.

Q. Michael, what makes playing alongside Nikola, the components, that make it enjoyable?

MICHAEL PORTER JR.: Yeah, I think I just enjoy his humility and his selflessness off the court. He has different interests off the court. Seeing how he is on the court, his passing, his willingness to let others shine. He could probably go out there and be super aggressive scoring every single game. He enjoys passing, getting others involved.

I would say the thing I appreciate about him is his consistency as a person, his humility off the court. He's just a good dude, you know what I mean?

Appreciate you all.