Porter Jr. hopeful about potential playoff return: 'I'm getting closer'

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is remaining optimistic that he can return from his back injury in time to play in this year's postseason.

"Right now, I'm taking it game by game. I'm not ruling anything out. This is a thing I don't ever want to deal with again, so I'm just taking my time," he told ESPN's Andscape.

"I'm playing it game by game. Every morning I wake up, and I know I'm feeling good. Every day I'm getting closer."

The third-year pro has been out of the lineup since Nov. 6, and he underwent surgery in December. The team initially expected him to return in March, but a setback in his rehab pushed his timeline.

While Porter says he feels "close to perfect" and has no restrictions, his hesitancy towards returning stems from repeated back issues, which limited his college career at Missouri to three games and forced him to miss his entire rookie campaign.

Porter broke out in his second full season last year, scoring 19 points per game and making 44% of his 3-pointers. He averaged just 9.9 points at a 21% clip from long distance in his nine contests before being sidelined this season.

Denver is in clear need of perimeter scoring without Porter and guard Jamal Murray, with only two players topping 10 points in Saturday's 123-107 Game 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors.