Michael Porter Jr. said he has "no pain" in his back after he underwent surgery in July.
The Nuggets' top 2018 draft pick said he hopes his recovery time is short and that he can be in the lineup for the start of the upcoming season.
"I don't have a date but I'm hoping to be back for the beginning of the year. Gotta heal up, but I feel great," Porter told ESPN.com. "I'm able to get on the court a little bit right now, do some different things. But my rehab has definitely been very conservative. They're really taking it easy with me, being patient with me."
July's procedure is the second back surgery Porter has had in the last year. In November 2017 he had a microdiscectomy that repaired one of two bulging discs in his back. However, Porter needed the second surgery because the other bulging disc was still hurting him.
"[Doctors originally] only thought one of [the bulging disks] was symptomatic," Porter said. "They went in and fixed that one. Turns out that both were symptomatic. So my first surgery helped a lot but didn't fix the entire problem. Now that they did this one, I've got no pain or anything. I'm excited."
While Porter said he's feeling better, there is no set date for his return.
He was selected 14th overall in this year's draft by the Nuggets, despite limited playing time in his one season at Missouri due to his first back surgery.
