The off-the-court impact Nets expect Michael Porter Jr. to provide

LAS VEGAS — The biggest move of Brooklyn’s summer brought back the only championship winner on the roster. Michael Porter Jr. is the only player with a ring, the one who has been where the Nets are trying to get. 

And coach Jordi Fernández — who was with Porter in Denver for the first four years of the forward’s career — hopes some of that can rub off on his young team. 

“He’s excited to be here. I’m excited to reunite with him,” Fernández said. “We have history together. I loved my time with Michael. And I know he’s going to bring a lot. His work ethic is very good. He’s a pro, works really hard, so that’s going to be good for the young guys to see a guy like him that won a championship, and why.” 

Porter bounced back from a back injury in 2021-22 by winning the title with Denver the following season. The Nets traded Cam Johnson for Porter and the Nuggets’ unprotected 2032 first-round pick. 

That selection — when Nikola Jokic will be 37 — will be one of the most valuable in Brooklyn’s cache of future assets. It’s why Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, SB Nation and Clutch Points all graded the Nets an “A” for the deal. 

But what exactly will they be getting in Porter in the meantime? Can he be more than just a salary dump? 

On paper, the 6-foot-10 forward is similar to Johnson, but the similarity ends once it leaves the page. 

Porter is younger, having turned 27 on June 29. Despite back woes early in his career, Porter is actually healthier, having missed six games the past two seasons compared to Johnson’s 43. And he’s pricier, the two years and $79.1 million on his deal the reason the Nets were able to get such a valuable pick. 

And he’s also going to have to show he can be effective without Jokic. 

“He’s going to be asked to do things that he’s never done before, right? Probably his usage and the shots he’s going to take,” admitted Fernández. “And that’s exciting. It should be exciting for him. He’s going to work for it. I know the type of person he is. And I was very happy to see him face-to-face [Saturday].” 

For perspective, Porter averaged 17.4 points in 220 games over the past three years on solid .492/.404/.795 splits. But without Joker? Those numbers dipped, averaging just 15.9 points in 22 games on .440/.268/.707 splits. 

Can he be efficient outside of Jokic’s orbit? And can he lead a rookie-laden team? 

“I don’t want him to be out of character. I just want him to be himself,” Fernández said. “And that’s why I’m very comfortable, because I’ve seen him get where he got, his career year and how he scores the ball and the work he puts in every day. 

“The only thing we need to do is get him adjusted to his new teammates, the little things that make your life better: finding a place to live, get comfortable. But I know who he is and how good he is going to be. And I want him to lead being Michael Porter. He doesn’t need to be anybody else. Once again, I think he’ll be very, very good for the group.” 

Porter is the second-oldest Net behind only Terance Mann, 29. Will he start at power forward while Mann, Egor Demin and Ziaire Williams vie for wing minutes? Or is Porter a small forward alongside stretch four Noah Clowney? 

“I don’t think it really matters. What matters is who he guards,” Fernández said. “That’s the positionless for us — 1 through 4, it’s pretty much the same. 

“But Michael is an amazing catch-and-shoot player. He can iso, he can shoot over people, he can rebound the ball. So all those things are very good for what we’re building. And he’ll help us. And we know our efficiency is gonna go up with him.”