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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez reveals real reason Michael Porter Jr. should be All-Star
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- Nets’ Jordi Fernandez reveals real reason Michael Porter Jr. should be All-Star
Nets' Jordi Fernandez reveals real reason Michael Porter Jr. should be All-Star appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Michael Porter Jr . had lofty expectations for himself entering the NBA. Porter didn't only expect to be an All-Star, but the best player in the league. While injuries slowed him down earlier in his career, he's making up for lost time with the Brooklyn Nets .
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Porter has planted himself firmly in the All-Star conversation while breaking as the Nets' No. 1 option. Jordi Fernandez said there's no doubt the 27-year-old deserves his first selection.
"He's an All-Star. He's played like an All-Star, you just got to watch him play, and how much better he's gotten," Fernandez said. "He's been in a different role, and he's proven he can do it. And it's not just the shot-making, which I think if you're an NBA fan, you just watch Michael take and make shots, right? It's how he's been working off the ball to get those shots, also rebounding, career-high rebounding and free-throw attempts and assists. All those things that he's just making an impact on the group. [We're trying] to compete at the highest level… We've competed for a lot of games, and he's a big reason why we're there. He's just doing his job, and it's not about him; it's about the group. So if you think about his impact on competitiveness, that's what All-Stars do, and that's why Mike should be there."
Porter has averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists on .491/.404/.838 shooting splits across 30 appearances with Brooklyn. He, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the NBA's only players averaging 25-plus points and seven-plus rebounds on over 49 percent shooting this season.
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However, as Fernandez noted, Brooklyn's team success with Porter at the forefront is the most convincing aspect of the forward's All-Star case. The Nets were projected to be in the running for the NBA's worst record this season.
However, they're 11-13 over their last 24 games with Porter in the lineup. Most impressively, they've posted a positive net rating (2.8) in Porter's minutes during that span.
Porter finished ninth in the Eastern Conference in the last round of the All-Star fan voting. However, with the Nets star unlikely to be voted in as a starter, the NBA's head coaches will determine whether he earns a selection. Fans (25 percent), players (25 percent) and media (50 percent) vote on the starters, while coaches select the seven reserves in each conference.
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Porter would mark the Nets' first All-Star since Kevin Durant in 2021-22 and the seventh since the team's move to Brooklyn in 2012. Durant (2020-21 and 2021-22), Kyrie Irving (2020-21), James Harden (2020-21), D'Angelo Russell (2018-19), Joe Johnson (2013-14) and Brook Lopez (2012-13) are the Nets' only All-Stars during the Brooklyn era.
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