The Denver Nuggets have been without Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun for much of their training camp, as the two key players have been dealing with separate injuries that have limited their participation in team activities. It was understandable that the Nuggets were being careful with both players in hopes they would be ready for the start of the season, and it seems they both will be.
Speaking with reporters on Sunday, Nuggets head coach Michal Malone said both Porter and Braun will be available for opening night vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, which is huge for a Nuggets team that projects to rely on both players quite a bit this season.
Porter is of course a starter for the Nuggets, and a great complimentary piece for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Braun is entering his second season in the NBA, and is already getting regular rotation minutes after being solid when called upon last season. With the departure of Bruce Brown, Braun should get even more opportunities this season that he did last season.
There may be a bit of a ramp up period for the Nuggets that extends beyond training camp and preseason, since their summer was so different than previous years. Winning the title and celebrating accordingly, Denver got a bit of a late start on their offseason work, so they will look to start as well as possible given their shortened summer.
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