Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter is out "for the foreseeable future" after sustaining a back injury this past weekend, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said Monday, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Porter appeared to injure himself while attempting a transition layup early in the first quarter of Saturday's contest against the Houston Rockets. He remained in the game for several minutes before exiting for good.
"This is a process where we're being very cautious, talking to doctors, getting imaging; all that kind of stuff," Malone said, according to The Athletic.
Porter has had a rough start to the season, averaging 9.9 points on 35.9% shooting - including 20.8% from deep - over nine appearances.
Denver inked the 6-foot-10 forward to a five-year, $172-million rookie extension in September after his breakthrough 2020-21 campaign. The 23-year-old posted a career-high 19 points per contest last season en route to a third-place finish in Most Improved Player voting.
The Nuggets selected Porter 14th overall in the 2018 draft. The Missouri product was among the top-rated prospects in the 2017 recruiting class but only made three appearances for the Tigers due to back issues; the same ailment forced Porter to sit out his entire rookie campaign. He's already undergone two back surgeries.
