Michael Porter Jr. to undergo potential season-ending back surgery

According to multiple reports, Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is set to undergo a surgical procedure on his lower back.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, there will be a timetable set following the surgery; however, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports that Porter's 2021-22 season will be over after the procedure is done due to a cautious approach from the organization.

Porter's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told Wojnarowski that the Nuggets forward will make a full recovery.

ANALYSIS: Porter just signed a five-year, $172 rookie maximum contract extension this past summer after a strong showing for Denver the season prior. With $145.3 million of that guaranteed, it wouldn't be surprising to see the franchise take this situation delicately.

Porter averaged 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds on a career-best 44.5% from deep last season. This campaign, those shooting numbers dramatically plummeted across the board due presumably to the back injury — 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds on 35.9/20.8/55.6 splits over nine games.