Feb. 25, 2026, 1:41 p.m. ET

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. had found himself playing a different brand of basketball during his time with the Denver Nuggets, culminating in winning a title at the end of the 2022-23 season. Brooklyn traded for Porter prior to the beginning of this campaign, putting him in a rebuilding situation as opposed to a winning one and he reflected on the difference.

“This is a new situation that I’ve been in. But, no basketball game is meaningless, even if it’s all part of the journey,” Porter said after Tuesday’s 123-114 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Porter finished the game with 26 points and three assists, but the Nets weren’t able to win a game in which the Mavericks were missing star rookie Cooper Flagg and guard Kyrie Irving along with forward Khris Middleton suffering an injury early on in the game.

“This team, we’re not just looking at this year, we’re looking at the overall scheme and goals for the next one, two, three, four, five years,” Porter continued. “All these games matter for us in terms of growth, in terms of continuity, in terms of chemistry. Sometimes, it’s hard to really focus on that, but we got to come in and work every day and realize it’s a bigger picture.”

Porter, 27, is having by far the best season of his career as he’s averaging 24.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 47.2% from the field and 37.0% from three-point land. In the beginning of this season, Porter looked like the kind of player that could make his first All-Star appearance and while the voting process didn’t go his way, it was still clear the impact that he has on this young Nets team.

During Porter’s seven seasons in Denver, he didn’t play in his first season due to injury, he was never part of a team that won less than 58.5% of its games in any given season. However, Brooklyn is on pace to finish with a losing record and from looking at the rest of the schedule, they could finish with the worst record in the league. Porter is in a rebuilding situation for the first time in his career, but he is embracing the challenge and remembering the big picture.

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