Lakers' LeBron James: Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. 'Kicked Our Ass' in NBA Playoffs

While Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray receive the vast majority of praise for the Denver Nuggets' success, LeBron James came away impressed with Michael Porter Jr. during the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round series against the defending champs.

"Michael Porter's the one who kicked our ass. He kicked our ass," James said (18:45 mark). "Do you remember when we talked about having luck to win a championship? Denver is a case for that. There's no way, coming out of high school, before the back surgery, that Michael Porter would even be in Denver. The guy was a projected No. 1 pick in the draft."

Porter averaged 22.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game against the Lakers, knocking down 48.8 percent of his shots from three-point range. Those numbers were significant improvements over his regular-season totals, with Porter playing a critical role in a series decided by 11 total points.

James noted the Nuggets were a perfect situation for Porter coming out of college because they had the infrastructure needed for him to develop. The Missouri product missed his entire rookie season while dealing with back surgery and then was brought along slowly as he acclimated to the NBA game.

While Porter has still dealt with back problems during his career—he missed all but nine games in the 2021-22 season—the Nuggets provided a haven for recovery. A more impatient organization may have rushed Porter back to the floor too soon.

As it stands, the Nuggets' patience with Porter paid off in a big way last season in their NBA championship run and in the first round against the Lakers.