Michael Porter Jr., of the Nuggets, Suffers a Sprain in the left knee

The Denver Nuggets received some bad news days before they were ready to start playing in the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2019.
Rookie striker Michael Porter Jr. reportedly sprained his left knee in a mini-camp on Wednesday night and is unlikely to play in the Summer League, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Denver selected Porter Jr. with the No. 14 pick in the 2018 draft, but he did not play all of last season as he recovered from a back injury that cost him most of his freshman season in the University of Missouri.
The Nuggets will open the Summer League game on Friday against the Phoenix Suns (11:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The injury to The Denver Post, Porter Jr. is not expected to be long-term, and the team is being cautious and does not want to rush him back onto the court. Porter Jr. has participated in the practices in recent weeks and has shown solid. The team often publishes regular updates and featured videos of the great man's participation.
Although Porter Jr. did not play in all of last season, he was able to gain valuable experience on the sidelines in Denver.
"It was amazing for me to be able to spend this year to learn the game and be around these guys," Porter Jr. told Nuggets.com on May 13. "I learned a lot, being close to the NBA lifestyle, getting used to it." When traveling, see how much these guys play, and the recovery involved. It has been very good, and I think it will really benefit me in the long term. "
The 6-foot-11 Porter Jr. has the tools and versatility to play any of the two NBA spots. Denver made a calculated decision in deciding to recruit Porter Jr. after surprisingly slipping to No. 14 in 2018. Given his strategic approach to helping Porter Jr. rehabilitate from a serious injury, the team will likely adopt a measured by integrating it into the rotation once it is healthy again.
Michael Lamar Porter Jr. (born June 29, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played basketball at the University of Missouri. Porter was ranked as one of the best prospects in the class of 2017. He was selected 14th among the Nuggets in the NBA draft of 2018.
Porter was injured in the first half of the first game of the season against the state of Iowa. Porter was expected to miss the rest of the 2017-18 seasons due to a lower back injury that required surgery. On November 22, 2017, Porter performed a successful micro discectomy of his spinal discs L3-L4. However, on February 22, 2018, Porter Jr was allowed to practice with Missouri again, with the potential to play again before the end of the season. NBA executives encouraged him to play if he felt healthy enough to do so.
Porter would officially return to action on March 8, 2018 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Porter would also play in the first round of the Men's Basketball Tournament of Division I of the NCAA 2018, where the team lost to the State of Florida. In both games, however, Porter left the bench to play instead of starting as he had on opening night, mainly as a precaution. On March 27, Porter announced his intention to give up his last three seasons of college eligibility and declared himself for the NBA draft of 2018.
By: Preeti Narula
Content: https://www.nba.com/news