Is Michael Porter Jr. the right person to use at this stage? That is the burning question of the hour as the crucial matchup between the Denver Nuggets and the LA Clippers reached its final stage. This matchup was supposed to secure the Nuggets a spot in the Western Conference Semi-Finals after they had won 3 of the last 5 games against James Harden and Co. However, as 7:58 minutes remained in the 4th quarter, the Clippers led by 102-88, aka a 14-point margin. Therefore, if there ever was a time for players to come out and do their best, it was now. Unfortunately, giving his best is hard for Porter, since he is playing through an unfortunate injury.

According to the on-court commentators, Michael Porter Jr. came “right down” on his left shoulder during the game. Despite this, the player was continuing to play through. One of the commentators highlighted that “he would certainly not be playing through if it were the regular season.”

However, his female counterpart revealed that “He definitely did. I talked to him pre-game about it, and said, ‘How bad does it hurt when you’re playing?’, and he said, ‘Well, anytime I lift it up’. Even less than 90 degrees away from his body, he feels it. He said he can’t hurt it anymore, it’s just pain tolerance at this point. And the more you play, the more inflammation that there is’. So, all you can do is ice it.”

Michael Porter Jr. had sustained a sprained left shoulder during last Monday’s Game 2 loss. The incident had occurred after he had already scored 15 points and 15 rebounds, to go with his 1 assist, during the game. His performance got cut short after Porter came under attack once the Nuggets got a rare miss from Kawhi Leonard. 100 seconds were left, and the game was tied at 100. Porter collected the rebound and threw the ball up in an attempt to pass it to Aaron Gordon. However, he ended up losing it. While trying to get the loose ball back, Porter dived and bashed his left shoulder.

When addressing the injury, the player said, “I made a stupid play after I got the rebound. Tried to make up for it, and somebody landed on my shoulder”. He further added that “I never felt anything like this in my shoulder. But it’s good, though. It’s just a joint sprain, so it’s nothing too serious. So hopefully I can do what I can to heal it up”.

After sustaining the injury, Michael Porter Jr. was out for zero games! Nil! The player continued playing on, with his minutes remaining the same. More than that, actually, since while he had played for 33 minutes in Game 2, he then went on to play for 35, 42, and 37 minutes in the next 3 games. However, the severity of the shoulder injury would have reached a different level in this recent matchup. After all, Porter played for only 24 minutes and scored just 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 0 assists. Not getting the best use out of the starting small forward contributed to the Nuggets’ eventual 111-105 loss.

Despite what happened recently, David Adelman may not give up on Porter anytime soon. After all, as the coach revealed, the player can handle a certain level of pain that many can’t.

David Adelman gave credit to Michael Porter Jr. for his “pain threshold”: “if Mike can play, he will.”

After Michael Porter Jr. sustained his shoulder injury, doubts crept in over whether this was it for the player in this tournament. However, while others were worrying, David Adelman was calm. Having been appointed the interim head coach after Michael Malone was fired by the Nuggets, the 43-year-old kept tabs on which players would work in a suitable rotation. Whatever he saw convinced him that Michael Porter Jr.’s minutes should remain unchanged. As for the injury front, Adelman had also seen enough to know that the 26-year-old was a determined soul.

“I’m very optimistic, because Mike, I don’t think he gets enough credit for how tough he is, what he’s played through over these years. His pain threshold is something that people don’t understand, don’t get, that he deals with all year long,” said the interim coach after Game 2. “Do I know if Mike’s going to play? No, but I do know if Mike can play, he will.”

The Nuggets and Clippers are now the first two teams of this tournament to take their playoff series to Game 7. A do-or-die situation for both squads. Given the faith he has placed in him, the last thing David Adelman would want is to bench Michael Porter Jr. now. He won’t make any decision soon until the injury report for Game 7 becomes public.