This offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of problems to address and may need to bolster their roster through trades or free agency. A general manager from the Eastern Conference suggested Michael Porter Jr. to the Lakers, believing the Denver Nuggets forward would be a good fit. Porter is well known in Los Angeles, as the Nuggets have eliminated him from the playoffs the last two seasons. In both series, the sniper was a pain in L.A.’s side.
He scored 15.0 points and pulled down 9.3 rebounds per game in the 2023 Western Conference Finals to
help Denver win the series. Despite shooting only 40.8 percent from the field, he made likely the largest impact from long range, averaging 3.5 three-pointers per game.Porter performed even better versus Los Angeles this season and kept his pledge that he wouldn’t take the Lakers lightly. In the first round of the playoffs, the Nuggets defeated the Lakers 4-1 in series, and he finished with 22.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Throughout the series, he made 4.0 triples per contest. In addition to being extremely effective from the field, the 25-year-old shooter converted 55.3 percent of his field goal attempts and 48.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
The star player from the University of Missouri was unable to continue his impressive play in the following round as his team was defeated in seven games by the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending its hopes of winning the championship again. In the series, Minnesota’s defense allowed him to score 20 points just twice, and in the other five games, he was unable to score in double figures.
Even so, his arrival would probably result in an explosive offensive frontcourt for the Lakers. He would provide James and Anthony Davis with some 6-foot-10 assistance.
