NEW ORLEANS – Given Michael Porter Jr.’s laborious path to his NBA debut, it was hard not to be sympathetic when the rookie found himself caught up in Denver’s early-season firestorm.
On one hand, Porter had just realized an NBA dream he’d been chasing since first picking up a basketball. On the other, his team had just been blasted by a winless Pelicans team Thursday night and chided by its coach because of an “embarrassing” collective effort.
Instead of savoring his first NBA action, the grind of the early season crashed right into Porter’s fairytale.
“It was cool, it was fun,” Porter said.