There was a kind of pressure on the entire Denver squad that was different as the defending champs. There was further pressure on Michael Porter Jr. due to his family troubles. He had to play through off-court troubles weighing his entire family down. He did handle the scrutiny through the playoffs better than most can imagine. It wasn’t enough to get through the semis, though, as the Denver Nuggets fell to Minnesota in Game 7 after a close series. Reports surfaced that he had an emotional moment with his team after the elimination, which moved another NBA veteran.

Porter reportedly apologized to his team, saying, “If he would’ve played the way he knows he can play, the Nuggets would’ve won this series.” Initially, it did look like it was their game to win. The Nuggets had an almost 20-point lead by halftime but the Timberwolves turned the tables in jaw-dropping fashion to cut the deficit and win 98-90.

Former Denver Nuggets coach, George Karl was extremely sympathetic to Porter’s situation. “Hard to imagine MPJ’s mental well-being the past few weeks with his family’s personal and serious challenges,” he wrote on X with some emotional emojis.

Porter’s brothers are facing consequences for incidents not involving Michael. Yet it’s a trying time for the family as a whole. During that, he played through the first round of the playoffs with support from his teammates and was monstrous against the LeBron James-led Lakers. His teammates and coach expressed pride in Porter’s mental fortitude.

He was grateful for their support too. But it’s understandable it’s not easy to turn off the thoughts about his family and the noise completely. it’s unclear how the team responded to his apology but he has George Karl in his corner.

George Karl is in MPJ’s corner

Karl coached the Nuggets from 2005 to 2013 before Porter or Nikola Jokic were around. This team clearly remains his favorite, though. He was celebratory when his team ousted LeBron and ahead of Game 7, he put his money on Denver. But Porter was a far cry from the guy who took on the Lakers.

Not only did the Nuggets falter against the Minnesota defense in the second half, but Porter only scored 7 points. Immediately after the game, he was subjected to hate for what most are calling a lack of effort on his part. This is pretty much one of the ‘serious challenges’ Karl was referring to.

Karl was not too down after the Nuggets’ loss and sees this as a temporary break in their campaign for the next title. After Karl’s heartfelt support, others also chimed in with sympathy for Porter’s personal circumstances. Now all eyes are on the Nuggets’ offseason and some in his corner are sure he’s going to bounce back better than ever next season.