Michael Porter Jr will undergo back surgery on Wednesday, according to his agent; the forward dealt with back issues in college and has been limited to nine games for the Denver Nuggets this season; no timescale placed on 23-year-old's return
Tuesday 30 November 2021 08:40, UK
Michael Porter Jr of the Denver Nuggets needs surgery to address his latest back injury and there is no known timetable yet for his return.
Mark Bartelstein, Porter's agent, said the surgery is scheduled for Wednesday.
Porter - who dealt with a back problem in college so severe that some wondered if he would ever be an effective NBA player - has been limited to nine games this season.
"Obviously not the outcome or the news that we were all hoping for," Michael Malone, the Nuggets coach, said. "Surgery was a last resort, but it is what it is.
"He's been down this road before. He has an incredible family behind him. He has this entire organization behind him."
ESPN first reported that Porter will need the surgery, and The Denver Post had been first to report that a nerve issue may jeopardise Porter's season and lead to the procedure.
Doctors will then be able to determine a likely course of recovery and how much time Porter may need before he can return.
"He'll join us, whenever that is," Malone said.
Denver has had seven players miss time with injuries already this season, including reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and All-Star guard Jamal Murray.
Jokic has been dealing with a wrist issue and Murray hasn't played since tearing the ACL in his left knee last season.
"This is not the way we planned this season to go, but you can't control these things," Malone said.
Porter was limited to three games in his lone college season at Missouri because of back issues, then fell to 14th in the 2018 NBA Draft after once being considered a serious candidate to be the No 1 overall pick.
He missed his entire rookie season with the Nuggets after back surgery, but has blossomed in a big way since.
Porter has averaged 14 points in 125 NBA regular-season games, averaged 17.4 points in last season's playoffs and was rewarded back in September with a five-year extension that will be worth at least $173m (£129.9m).
"We're not going to allow injuries to get us sidetracked," Malone said. "Is that a much harder path? Of course it is."
