NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. has been invaluable for the Nets as the team tries to generate sufficient without Cam Thomas on the floor to draw attention. Brooklyn came into the season with Porter and Thomas as the main scorers and while Porter has been playing great basketball lately, the Nets understand that they still have to give him breaks as well.
“Injury management. So, if you think about it, I think he played three [games] in four days, then he had to miss two games,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Porter prior to Thursday’s game against the Utah Jazz. Brooklyn ruled Porter out for the matchup due to lower back injury management as the Nets play the second night of a back-to-back following Wednesday’s 113-103 win at the Chicago Bulls.
“That last game that I didn’t see [him] moving well, it was muscle related, so not nothing to [worry about],” Fernandez continued when explaining why the injury management program began for Porter. “The reality now is five [games] and seven [nights], right, and health is the priority for us. We’re very happy where he’s performing. We want him to keep doing it. The way we manage their bodies is important.”
Porter, 27, is having the best season of his career by far as he’s averaging 25.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 48.8% from the field and 38.5% from three-point land. Porter’s game has taken off as of late as he’s averaging 28.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 51.6% from the floor and 41.9% deep over his last eight games.
As Fernandez alluded to, the Nets have to be careful with Porter given what he has been through in his career with his back. Porter, who missed Brooklyn’s last back-to-back set with lower back tightness, should be back for Saturday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans and in the meantime, Brooklyn will have to find a way to survive without their leading scorer.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Jordi Fernandez details injury management for Michael Porter Jr.
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
