Nets Must Lean on Porter's Offensive Versatility Amidst Struggles

As the Brooklyn Nets are still seeking a victory, the team had their best showing of the early season Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics, falling 125-124 in overtime.

Rookie point guard Mikel Brown Jr. forced extra time with a fading 3-pointer towards the end of regulation, but a mid-range jumper from Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum sealed the game in overtime.

While Brown was the headliner, Michael Porter Jr. continues to have a sneaky-good start to his second season with the Nets, scoring a team-high 27 points on 50% shooting from the field.

The former Missouri product made six long balls, with some of the makes being highly-contested and causing dismay among Celtics color analyst Brian Scalabrine and the crew

"He ain't Steph Curry, but he's not that far behind," Scalabrine said after one of Porter's makes.

Through the opening four games, Porter has eclipsed the 26-point mark in three of Brooklyn's four games, while making 40.5% of his 3-point opportunities.

Porter continues to look like one of the best perimeter jump-shooters in the NBA, while showing a continued level of growth and versatility.

Against Boston, Porter pulled in a game-high 12 rebounds, denoting his first double-double of the season and an area he has focused on improving.

At Nets Media Day, General Manager Sean Marks talked about what he is looking for in his second-year forward.

"So for Mike to come in here and own that opportunity that he had and have a great year, I think we’re looking for consistency for him," Marks said. "We’re looking for him to take another step on the defensive end of it, rebounding end of it. Just become more of a complete player."

Defensively, Porter has been much-more active in passing lanes and on the interior, averaging 2.3 steals per game to this point.

Porter also recorded two blocks against the Celtics, swatting away shots in emphatic fashion.

With this increased level of all-around play, Porter is making himself a more valuable player and should be employed as Brooklyn's No. 1 scoring option.

While Julius Randle will dominate a lot of the ball-handling responsibilities, kicking to Porter and being used as a potential roller in two-man actions could be beneficial.

Sitting at 0-4, the Nets' road to their first win doesn't get much easier, hosting the reigning No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons.

Porter will likely draw some attention from NBA All-Defense forward Ausar Thompson, while having to deal with the physical defensive style from Detroit.

In his past three games against the Pistons, Porter has thrived, averaging 25.7 points per game.