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Shannon Sharpe rips Porter Jr. for performance vs. Thunder

Originally posted on Ball Exclusives | By Titan Frey | Last updated May 19, 2025 12:58 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets have been eliminated in seven games by the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Nikola Jokic played his heart out, as well as the injured Aaron Gordon.

One player who did not show up for the Nuggets all series long was Michael Porter Jr. His lack of performance did not go unnoticed as Shannon Sharpe recently ripped into the small forward.

“The one thing, the most disappointing thing this series, was Michael Porter Jr.,” Sharpe said. “I understand he’s injured, but bro, if you can’t give us any more than that, bro, you got to sit down. Yeah, he’s giving us nothing, he gave us nothing.”

(Starts 8:10)

Porter Jr., indeed, was playing through an injury, which hurt his performance. In Game 2 of the Nuggets’ first-round series vs. the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver’s sharpshooter suffered a Grade 2 shoulder sprain.

Porter asked about again severity of the Grade 2 sprain:

“They said it would be 4-6 weeks. I’m not doing that.” https://t.co/gnCFbyvW1d

— Brendan Vogt (@BrendanVogt) May 10, 2025

Porter Jr. fought hard to stay on the floor, including receiving a shot of lidocaine before Game 7. It unfortunately didn’t help.

Porter Jr. scored six points on 3-8 shooting, including 0-4 from three, in Game 7. In the series vs. the Thunder, Porter Jr. averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game. He shot 32.2% from the field and 25.0% from three.

Porter Jr. will recover from his injury and he and his team will look to bounce back from this disappointing loss. Denver will likely change their roster if they hope to compete for another NBA championship.

This article first appeared on Ball Exclusives and was syndicated with permission.

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