The comment made its rounds on social media moments after it dropped on Inside the NBA Thursday night.
“By the end of the season, [Michael Porter Jr. is] going to be the second-best player [on the Nuggets],” Charles Barkley said on the broadcast, following the Nuggets’ comeback, overtime win against the Warriors Thursday night.
Barkley, a former 11-time NBA All-Star, is known for his sometimes-outlandish hot takes in his role as a television analyst for TNT. To Porter Jr.’s credit, he admitted he appreciated the compliment from the Hall of Famer but acknowledged he’s got a lot of things he needs to work on as an NBA rookie.