Surgery for Denver Nuggets Star; Out For The Season

 

The Denver Nuggets' injury woes continue to derail a once-promising season. Having just signed a rookie max extension in the summer, Michael Porter Jr. will now need to undergo back surgery, and according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Nuggets F Michael Porter Jr., will undergo a surgical procedure on his lower back and miss an indefinite period, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Bartelstein says Porter’s expected to make a full recovery; timetable on return will come after surgery.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 29, 2021

This is the third time the 23-year-old  has gone under the knife for his back, once during his lone college season, and again the next year, which cost him his entire rookie season in the NBA. 

That he is now having further issues with his back isn't surprising, according to noted sports injury expert Jeff Stotts.

Re: MPJ: An additional surgery isn't unsurprising. Nearly three out of every four NBA players to undergo disc-related surgery report additional back problems at some point during their career & roughly 25% need an additional procedure. This will be Porter's 3rd surgery.

— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) November 29, 2021

Stotts reports that nearly 75% of NBA players who undergo disc-related surgery eventually have additional back problems, while about 25% actually need additional surgery. 

Many teams were scared off of Porter Jr. in the 2018 Draft due to the back issues, which is why the Nuggets were able to snag him with the No. 14 pick. 

We reported a couple of weeks back that Porter was going to be out "for the foreseeable future" as the team searched for answers to his latest problems. Now, they've determined that surgery is the only solution. He is expected to make a full recovery, according to his agent. 

But for the Nuggets, this is another brutal blow. They are already without Jamal Murray this season, recovering from a torn ACL, PJ Dozier is now out for the year for the same reason, and MVP Nikola Jokic has been out recently with a wrist injury. The team has lost 6 games in a row. 

Photo Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports