From Assistance to Core! Little Porter s Rebirth Journey!

For Porter Jr., this summer's transfer is of far-reaching significance. It is not only a team change, but also a role-positioning transformation. When he was in the Nuggets, he was an external shooter with excellent talent but limited to the third leader; and after coming to the Nets, what awaits him in the new season will be a higher usage rate and a more complex character in a system that has not yet been stable.

Overall, Porter Jr. is no longer a supporting shooter around Jokic, but a core choice in the Nets' reconstruction plan. And now there is a question facing Porter Jr.: Is he ready to face a new situation and become the key to leading the team to victory?

Looking back at Porter Jr.'s career, he has been shrouded in contradictions since 2018. His top talent before the draft has declined due to back injury. As an important puzzle for the championship lineup, he is always positioned as the core end point where he cannot handle too much ball rights. During the Nuggets period, his player positioning was quite limited. As a scorer, he was not responsible for the organization and as the ending point, but was not responsible for launching the offense. It is also based on this stable role arrangement that he scored a highlight season of 19 points per game in the 2020-21 season, helping the team win the championship. Although stable, in some ways, this also limits his potential for developing in ball-holding offense.

Simply put, in the Nuggets, he is a functional shooter, his offensive method is not autonomous enough, and he cannot fill the team's ball-holding offense vacancy when the organizational system is cut off. And now, after coming to the Nets, he finally began to get the opportunity to prove himself.

Nets are currently in the reconstruction stage. The team has no clear core and no record requirements. The tactical system and team culture are still in the process of reconstruction. In such an environment, Porter Jr.'s joining is not just to make up for the combat power, but is more like an attempt to core potential.

Combined with the current situation of the Nets, after Fernandez took over the coach, the tactical system emphasized offensive space and ball rights sharing. Porter Jr. was given more of the offensive end role as a ball-holder. This also directly means that he will have more singles-handling opportunities at the Nets and can take over the ball more at critical moments, rather than just standing in the bottom corner and waiting for the open space.

In comparison, this is different from his player positioning during the Nuggets. In the past, he averaged between 12-14 shots per game. Now when he comes to the Nets, his shots are likely to reach 17-19, or even break through 20 times. In order to assume the significantly increased play rights, the Nets will inevitably design tactical arrangements based on his offensive habits.

In addition to tactics, Porter Jr. is one of the few players with championship experience at the Nets. Although he is not the first core of the team's championship, he can still provide help in the game rhythm, victory culture, etc. of the champion team.

For the Nets, they naturally hope that Porter Jr. can transform these cultures into team propulsion forces. Especially this year when the Nets recruited many young players to join the team, Porter Jr.'s veteran guidance role is particularly important. He doesn't have to score crazy points on the court, nor does he have to applaud and cheer on the sidelines. It is the key to the daily training, tactical understanding and execution of some teams, which can have an impact on young players.

combined with the player's technical characteristics, although he was criticized during the Nuggets, his advantages are still quite outstanding.

As a high-explosive shooter with extremely high upper limit in the auxiliary lineup, Porter Jr. has a very high shooting point. Under his height and wingspan, he is paired with an extremely fast jump shooting rhythm, which is quite difficult to be disturbed at the same position.

Combined with the past four seasons, Porter Jr.'s three-point shooting percentage has basically been stable in the range of 39%-42%. This part of the advantages can directly put pressure on defense in holding the ball and off the ball. Especially in the small ball lineup, he can play to the fourth position, open up space and force the opponent to come out to defend in the inside, further freeing up the opportunity for teammates to break through and pick-and-roll down.

In addition to three-pointers from the outside, Porter Jr.'s mid-range shot is also quite stable, especially receiving and jumping shots in the conversion offense. He is one of the few players in the Nets' current lineup who can complete such offenses stably. According to statistics, Porter Jr. has been ranked at least in the top 20% of the league in scoring per 100 rounds in the past two seasons. For the Nets, whose system is still unstable, this conversion scoring weapon can become a key blow to stabilize the morale when the team's offensive rhythm is disturbed and the opponent's defense has not yet stabilized.

Of course, in addition to the advantages, Porter Jr. naturally has weaknesses and shortcomings, the most obvious is his one-on-one singles ability.

Although he has scoring talent, his singles efficiency is not excellent, and his lack of dribbling rhythm changes and center of gravity changes, which makes him very prone to high-difficulty shooting or making mistakes when facing strong wing defense. This part of the problem leads to him relying on his teammates to help create space, and he cannot create opportunities entirely on his own and then finish the ending on his own.

And if he wants to be the real core of the offensive, this will be a key problem that he must overcome in the future.

In addition, although the body shape is excellent, Porter's lateral movement speed and defense choice judgment still need to be improved, especially when facing speed wings or rhythm players, he is often shaken away due to misjudgment or poor timing of assisting and reversal.

Finally, there is a hidden danger of injury. Porter Jr. was reimbursed for the season due to a back injury, and therefore, the outside world once doubted whether his NBA career could last. But since the 2023-24 season, he has played more than 70 games in two consecutive years, which is enough to show that the most criticized health problems in his early career have been alleviated. Although his injuries often recur, he has adjusted well at present.

From a psychological perspective, Porter Jr. left a stable team with a chance to win the championship, and joined a reconstruction team with unknown record. The outside world's expectations for him naturally gradually shifted from supporting roles to protagonists. Such a change will undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on him, but it may also become an opportunity for the second stage of his career.

Summary, the Nets are still in the unfinished puzzle stage at this stage, with many young players, frequent role changes, and tactics not yet finalized. Such a team needs a veteran player who can score stably on the court and stabilize emotions off the court, and Porter Jr. is naturally expected to be such a role before he can be traded to join the team.

Of course, he may not be able to transform into a star, but as long as he can steadily improve the ball holding and maintain healthy attendance, his value in the Nets will naturally have a chance to exceed the book data.

From the perspective of team reconstruction, bad reconstruction is not an endless waiting, but a process of choosing the core and giving responsibilities. As for Porter Jr., he is the core candidate that the Nets choose to believe in at this stage.