Michael Porter Jr., now with the Brooklyn Nets, opened up about the Denver Nuggets’ internal struggles during the 2024–25 season. On #Respectfully The Justin Laboy Show, he described the team’s energy as being off day-to-day.
“There was turmoil. We weren’t excited to go into the gym. We weren’t excited to go into practice,” Porter said, via HoopsHype, reflecting on the environment leading up to the coaching change.
When asked whether the issues stemmed from coaching or team culture, Porter suggested the team simply needed fresh energy. “That’s probably why they went in some different directions—even in the offseason with a couple of players,” he explained.
Porter’s comments coincide with the Nuggets’ surprising decision to fire head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth on April 8. Malone and Booth reportedly had behind-the-scenes disagreements, contributing to the organizational shakeup.
During the 2024–25 season, Porter averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game for Denver. His contributions included helping the Nuggets reach the playoffs, where they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game series.
Porter joined the Brooklyn Nets on July 8 in a trade that sent him and a 2032 first-round pick to Brooklyn in exchange for Cameron Johnson. His move follows a season of both personal production and organizational turbulence in Denver.
Looking forward, the Nuggets hired David Adelman as their head coach on May 22, marking the first season without Malone since 2014–15. Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace also replaced Calvin Booth in executive positions, signaling a full front-office overhaul.
