Michael Porter Jr. says he’s pain free, 8/13/18 Nuggets NBA Finals Odds

Porter Jr. wants to play for Nuggets in '18

Michael Porter Jr. said he’s pain-free and hopes that he can suit up for the Denver Nuggets for the beginning of the NBA season despite underdoing back surgery.

The Nuggets selected Porter Jr. out of Missouri with eh 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Some mocks had projected him as high as No. 2 but a back injury led to his drop to the final pick in the lottery. Some NBA people believed he could need a redshirt year after he played just 53 total minutes at Mizzou.

Then in mid-July, the Nuggets announced that Porter Jr. had surgery on his lumbar spine in Dallas. The announcement came one day after the report that he had surgery related to a herniated disk in his back. The release offered no timetable for a return but fast-forward to this week and Porter says he is “hoping to be back for the beginning of the year.”

Porter Jr. also conceded that his rehab has been “very conservative…[the Nuggets] are really taking it easy with me.”

According to oddsmakers, the Nuggets are 225/1 long shots to win the NBA Finals but Denver still has playoff hopes and will take it slow with its lottery pick.