The Golden State Warriors actually had a strong start to the 2025-26 season. But their strong run slowed down a bit in the middle. This drop in performance made the fans worried about the team.
However, the Dub nation is slowly regaining its power, and it’s true as they have won four out of their last five games. Their most recent win was against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, and after the game, Draymond Green had sharp words for a Nets forward, who dropped 27 points in that game.
Draymond Green’s Comment Regarding Michael Porter Jr.
After the Monday night game, Green admitted one thing. It was that Michael Porter Jr. looks very different from the player he used to face when Porter was with the Denver Nuggets.
“It’s different. He didn’t have as much freedom in Denver… He’s showing that he’s the player that everybody thought or knew he was coming out of college. He’s finally getting to show that,” Green said during the post-game interview.
Porter joined the NBA when he was selected as the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, but he actually made his debut with the team during the 2019-2020 season. He took time off to recover from back surgery. In the 2021 season, the Nuggets management chose to reward him. They did so by giving him a five-year, $179,299,750 extension. It was in the 2025 offseason that he was suddenly traded off to the Nets while he was enjoying his time vacationing with his family.
Now, if we see, Green’s take regarding Porter holds some weight. After the former Nuggets player got traded to the Nets, he dropped an 11-minute video on his YouTube channel and admitted that Denver never really allowed him to reach his full potential.
“I’m really excited for this next chapter out here in Brooklyn. Over in Denver, I feel like my ceiling had plateaued. We just have a way of playing, how Joker plays and how Jamal plays, that two-man game is very potent. I’m so appreciative of the way we play, but I do feel like my ceiling plateaued a little bit,” said Porter in that video.
Moreover, the numbers or the stats truly show us the reality. Porter played six seasons with the Nuggets. If we see, in those years, he averaged 16.2 points per game. In his final season with the team, he averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 50.4% field goals and 39.5% from three-point range in 77 games.
Even after this kind of performance, Denver never really gave him a chance to prove himself. His role stayed static. With Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray running the show, Porter stuck to wings and corners. Little off-dribble work, few chances to create.
But now with the Nets, the former NBA champion is actually blooming. He is averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Now let’s have a look at Monday’s game against the Golden State. Brooklyn had a good start. They led by two points after the first quarter. They slipped in the second, and they were down by two points at halftime. The Warriors went on to score 61 fourth-quarter points. The Nets eventually lost the game 120-107.
Porter’s elite performance on Monday night truly showed his growth. But Golden State’s defense sealed it. If we see, the Warriors and the Nets will meet again on March 25. That rematch could test whether Porter continues to thrive.