The Case for Michael Porter Jr. as a Veteran Leader of the Brooklyn Nets

After drafting five rookies in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets only further committed to a total youth movement. The oldest player they chose—Danny Wolf—is only 21 years old. Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell and Ben Saraf make up the remaining four, each being just 19 years old.

That's a third of Brooklyn's 2025-26 roster that is legally allowed to drink alcohol or younger. And if you count Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead, who are both 20 years old, the percentage rises to nearly half.

With so much young talent expected to contribute, the Nets are going to need some great veterans to help mentor. Nic Claxton is the organization's longest-tenured player, who has witnessed Brooklyn's rise and fall of the 2020s. At this point, he's expected to be a major influence in the locker room.

Claxton was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft. A year prior, his new teammate, Michael Porter Jr., was selected in the lottery by the Denver Nuggets.

Porter spent the early years of his career (2018-22) learning under then-assistant coach and now head coach of the Nets, Jordi Fernandez. While in Denver, Porter became an NBA champion, something no other member of Brooklyn's current roster has achieved.

Sure, Porter wasn't phenomenal in the 2023 Finals. He only averaged nearly nine points and eight rebounds per game, but he's still experienced what it's like to be a part of a dominant force. It's hard to imagine he didn't learn a thing or two with the Nuggets two years ago, especially when he was learning from veterans like DeAndre Jordan and Jeff Green.

But time has moved on, and so has Denver. After being swapped for Cam Johnson a week ago, Porter gets a fresh start in Brooklyn—and he'll have an instant opportunity to become a vocal leader.

Fernandez is already familiar with him, and once Porter is integrated into the former's tough, high-effort style of play, he can serve as a role model to the young guys now trying to find where they fit in the league.