Put yourself in Michael Porter Jr.’s NBA-sized Pumas.

It’s been nearly 16 months since you’ve played a competitive basketball game. It’s been almost exactly a year since your second back surgery. Your Summer League teammate says you remind him of a video game player after going up against you in training camp. Your coach says you have the chance to be special.

Forty eight hours before you finally get to respond to the growing hype, finally with your play and not your words, you drive along the baseline during a scrimmage, take contact in the air and come down awkwardly with a knee sprain.

As quickly as that, your Summer League debut is shot. You’re no longer the answer to who else NBA executives are excited to see outside of No. 1 pick Zion Williamson.

“I got hurt that last play of the scrimmage,” Porter told The Denver Post this week. “I was so sad, but after that initial madness and sadness, you kind of just gotta reset. … It sucks, man, I was really looking forward to this. I’ve been waiting for like a year and a half, I can wait a few more days.”

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Porter, the Nuggets’ celebrated rookie, was on hand in Las Vegas to watch others play on the stage that he himself expected to dominate. He hung with his teammates, high-fived various college coaches and sat longingly on the bench in comfortable sweats.

The decision to rest Porter was precautionary. This past Tuesday, as the Nuggets prepared to play the Celtics in their second Summer League game, Porter stood among his teammates laughing and joking. He understood why the Nuggets were being careful even if it gnawed at him.

“It was so minor of a thing to where, I’m just happy it wasn’t anything bigger,” Porter said. “I’m good now. I could play today if they would let me. I really wanted to play in this, but this isn’t what I’m working for. I’m working for the season.”

While Porter outwardly tries to practice patience, understanding that his path to the NBA hasn’t been as seamless as that of other elite prospects, his frustration as a 21-year-old is apparent. The growth of social media, which coincided with Porter’s rise through the AAU circuit and his short time at Missouri, has proven difficult to navigate.

“That’s why I get off of social media so much,” said Porter. “I hate people like building this hype around me and then I can’t play or something and then everybody’s hating. It’s kind of hard, people act like you’re not human. Like, I see that stuff. I gotta take a break from looking at all that stuff.”

The pitfalls of social media are numerous. It can dangerously validate one’s worth while simultaneously undermine one’s confidence. Porter has gotten to the point where sharing viral videos of himself dunking or raining 3-pointers only stokes his doubters. The former No. 1 player in the country doesn’t need any added pressure on his 6-foot-10 shoulders. Related Articles Down 3-1 again, Nuggets are blaming themselves, not NBA refs: “We put ourselves in this position”

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“Social media is such a good thing to develop your brand and everything,” Porter said. “When I get on the court and play, I’ll probably get it back, start posting stuff, but like for now, while I’m rehabbing and getting ready to play, I don’t like looking at all the negativity.”

What the Nuggets ultimately get from Porter next season is a mystery. The first clues will come during preseason. But for now, it’s unclear how many minutes he’s slated to play and it’s unclear how willing the Nuggets will be in extending him. Perhaps the NBA’s latest load management trend finds its way to Denver.

“Just trying to temper everybody’s expectations, when you miss a whole year it doesn’t happen right away,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said at his exit interview in May.

Porter is a tantalizing piece that, until he can stay healthy, remains unrealized potential. The Nuggets are still deep even without him. For that reason, they have the luxury to tread lightly with last year’s lottery pick. The burden he’s carrying is already heavy enough.