Nets rule out Michael Porter Jr., Danny Wolf for remainder of season

The Brooklyn Nets have ruled out Michael Porter Jr. and Danny Wolf for the remainder of the season, head coach Jordi Fernandez announced Friday. Porter was sidelined by an ankle injury on Mar. 10 before later injuring his left hamstring. Meanwhile, Wolf has not played since spraining his left ankle during a Mar. 22 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Porter had a career-best season following his offseason trade from the Denver Nuggets. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists on .463/.363/.859 shooting splits across 52 appearances.

“Michael is in a new situation, being on the same team for seven years on a championship team and now having a different role, a different situation, everything has been very positive,” Fernandez said. “He’s played at an All-Star level. In my opinion, he should have been an All-Star. And now I want him to come back here and have a chip on his shoulder, lead the team the way he’s been doing the same way. That was a new thing for him, to lead by example and be the oldest guy. He went from being the youngest guy [when I met him at 19], and now all of a sudden at 27 and he’s a vet. So that was an adjustment. He’s done a great job, whether he used his voice or led by example. And the way he produced, the numbers just speak pretty loud.”

Porter is entering the final season of his contract at $40.8 million. He’ll be eligible for an extension this summer.

Nets shut down Michael Porter Jr., Danny Wolf with six games left in season

Meanwhile, Wolf turned in several encouraging stretches after the Nets selected him with the No. 27 pick in June’s draft. He averaged 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists on .405/.322/.771 shooting splits in 20.8 minutes per game across 57 appearances.

The 6-foot-11 forward is one of four rookies this season who have averaged over eight points, four rebounds and two assists on 40 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent from three or better, alongside Kon Knueppel, V.J. Edgecombe and Cedric Coward.

“[Danny] showed that he belongs and he’s been able to do very different things. From shooting the ball to playmaking to rebounding to being that primary ball-handler, playing off the ball, all those things, different lineups, which I’m very happy with him. Obviously, knowing exactly what we’re going to get through work in the summer so he can take that next step. Efficiency is important. We believe he’s a very good shooter. His playmaking efficiency has gotten better from college. And then defensively, he surprised a lot of people. He didn’t surprise us. We felt like he could do all those things and keep bodies in front, keep guys in front of the ball and guard smaller guys. So he’s been very, very good.”

Porter and Wolf join Egor Demin and Day’Ron Sharpe as Nets players who have been ruled out for the season. Brooklyn is tied with the Indiana Pacers for second place in the draft lottery standings with six games remaining. They have one fewer win than the Washington Wizards in first.

The Nets have matchups with the Wizards and Pacers remaining on their schedule.

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