Is Brooklyn's Michael Porter Jr. Capable of Being a Top-15 Small Forward in the NBA?

HoopsHype ranked their top-26 small forwards in the league for the 2025-26 season, and Brooklyn's Michael Porter Jr. finds himself on the list.

The Nets may not be in for much team success this season, but Porter Jr.'s stats could reflect a major improvement in his game. He felt like his ceiling plateaued with the Denver Nuggets and hopes the change of scenery can help his game continue to improve.

"I just feel like I have more in my tank still," Porter Jr. said. "I don't feel like I've reached my peak, and I'm excited to grow my game, expand my game, explore my game, and see what I could do."

The Projected Ranking

Porter Jr. is ranked the No. 13 small forward by HoopsHype, but could easily finish the season below or above his projection. Barring any injuries, it is easy to see an improvement from his past couple of seasons, stats-wise. He has played in 220 games in the past three seasons, showing he can overcome the early health troubles of his career.

In 77 starts last season, Porter Jr. averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He did this shooting 50.4% from the field and 39.5% from three-point range.

Porter Jr. had a usage rate of 20.2% last season, the second lowest of his career. For example, Cam Thomas had a 32.1% usage rate in his 25 games played in 2024-25 and averaged 24 points per game.

The opportunity to create his shots was hard to come by playing behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, so it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to having the ball in his hands at a much higher rate.

It would honestly be a shock if Porter Jr. did not produce the best scoring season of his career. He has never had a 20-point per game season, but as a presumed top option, the touches will come in bunches, leading to more points on the board.

The Players Ranked Around Porter Jr.

The players surrounding him are Jaden McDaniels and Brandon Ingram behind, and Norman Powell and Jalen Johnson ahead. Ingram is the only player of the five with an All-Star appearance to his name.

Porter Jr. is a better scorer than McDaniels and Johnson, but will need to improve mightily as a defender to confidently say he is a better player than them.

Being in front of Ingram is interesting because he has had six straight seasons scoring more than 20 points per game, although he is in a new scenery with the Toronto Raptors, and touches may go in favor of younger options.

A season scoring close to 25 points per game and minor improvements in defense and playmaking could give Porter Jr. a boost for top-10 consideration by the end of the regular season.