After closing out 2025 winning an impressive seven of their last 11 games, the Nets have conversely opened 2026 by losing nine of 11 games before facing the Knicks last night (Wednesday) at Madison Square Garden. They were 12-29 and 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference.
In the midst of their struggles, a bright spot for Brooklyn has been the play of Michael Porter Jr., who the team acquired from the Denver Nuggets last July, along with a 2032 unprotected first-round draft pick in exchange for swingman Cameron Johnson. Porter Jr. was averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, all career highs, going into MSG to meet the Knicks, numbers worthy of All-Star consideration.
When the final vote count was tallied, Porter was ninth among all East players. The top five vote recipients are starters, and the remainder of the team — seven spots — will be chosen by the conference’s head coaches.
“I think that when an organization believes in you and they reiterate confidence, and there’s positive attitudes and positive vibes, whether you win or lose or whether you have good games or bad games, that can change a whole player’s production, it could change his confidence, especially as young players,” Porter Jr. said when asked by the AmNews how Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez and the Nets’ organization has infleunced his stellar individual season.
“Right now, we have a lot of young players that are shooting the ball well, playing well, and that comes from a coach instilling confidence,” he continued, “and I think Jordi and the whole Nets organization does a great job of instilling confidence in players. It doesn’t matter if you make or miss a shot; he’s telling you keep shooting.
“He will probably get more upset with you if you didn’t take a shot than if you did, so I think that when you are constantly hearing that message, it can really help your confidence as a player. I mean, I’m in year seven, and I still feel the difference when a coach really believes in me and when they kind of second-guess the shots you take. So I just think that Jordi and the whole Nets organization have done a great job of that with me, and with the whole team.”
Porter Jr. likely will not be an All-Star given the team’s record, but he may have an outside shot at being a replacement player if someone sits out due to an injury.
Brooklyn will host the Boston Celtics tomorrow at the Barclays Center, then begin a five-game road trip in Los Angeles on Sunday against the Clippers, followed by the Phoenix Suns next Tuesday.