Lillard: Porter Jr.'s criticism of Nuggets coaches 'wrong'

Why did Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. call out his coaches after Wednesday's loss? Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Damian Lillard: Michael Porter Jr. 'wrong' for criticizing Nuggets coaches after loss

By Blake Harper | Last updated 9/10/20

Michael Porter Jr. was not afraid to speak his mind following the Nuggets' Game 5 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, saying that for Denver needed to have a chance to win, the coaches needed to "get more players involved."

"That is up to the playcalling, the coaches and whose hands they want to put the ball in," Porter explained. "We kept going to [Nikola Jokic] and [Jamal Murray] and they are two amazing players, but I just think to beat them we need to get more players involved. We have to move the ball a little bit better. We can't be predictable against that team."

But Porter's public criticism of his coaches did not sit well with Damian Lillard, who voiced his disagreement with Porter on Twitter. First, Lillard retweeted a video of Porter's comments with the caption: "smdh." Then, he wrote, "Yes he is wrong. IF you know you know and ima leave it at that."

Yes he is wrong. If you know you know and ima leave it at that https://t.co/5Ynr2GXQlP
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) September 10, 2020

Lillard seems to be taking umbrage with Porter calling out his coaches publicly rather than voicing his concerns to his coaches in private. For Porter, he was likely just feeling frustrated following a loss and wanted to vent a little bit but some people, including Lillard, think he may have taken it too far and thrown his coaches under the bus.

Either way, the Nuggets are definitely in a tight spot, as they are just one loss away from being eliminated from the playoffs. To stay alive, they will need to win three straight games against arguably the deepest roster in the entire NBA.

More must-reads: