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The Hype Train For ‘The Batman’ Chugs Along With New Posters And A Sneak Peek At Robert Pattinson’s Bat-Voice

As The Batman gets ready to have a sizable presence at Saturday’s DC FanDome event, the film’s official Twitter account and director Matt Reeves have been dropping tiny nuggets of Bat-gold to build up hype for what is almost certainly going to be a new trailer release.

First out of the gate is a look at the new Bat-signal, courtesy of a brief clip featuring Robert Pattinson‘s Batman delivering the ominous line, “It’s not just a signal; it’s a warning,” in his best Bat-voice.

Up next, Reeves shared a shot from the imminent new trailer that shows Pattinson’s Batman watching the sun rise on Gotham City after a night of presumably punching the crap out of evil:

And, as of this post, the latest Bat-goodie is a set of character posters that includes the best look at Paul Dano’s Riddler yet. Clearly, he’ll be taking the character in a very different direction than Jim Carrey’s performance in Batman Forever. Or not? Who knows? Maybe he’ll bust out tights halfway through.

In addition to the trailer drop, Pattinson and co-star Zoë Kravitz will reportedly make an appearance at DC FanDome where we’ll presumably get a closer look at her new spin on Catwoman. The fan event kicks off at 1 PM EST/10 AM PST on October 16.

(Via The Batman on Twitter)

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Ben Simmons Apparently Told The Sixers He Needed A Fresh Start On A Team Where He ‘Could Make Mistakes’

Numerous reasons for Ben Simmons’ trade request out of Philadelphia have been reported and speculated upon over the past few months, including a fractured relationship with the organization or comments from head coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid following the team’s 2020-21 playoff exit. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, though, it’s not about those components. Simmons simply yearns for a restart elsewhere.

Per Shelburne, over the summer, Simmons’ agent, Rich Paul, arranged a meeting in Los Angeles among the All-Star guard, Rivers, and Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. There, Rivers and Morey designed to persuade Simmons to change his mind and recommit to the team rather than continuing to prefer a trade. After Simmons listened to their messages, he explained his perspective.

“He didn’t dwell on Rivers’ or Embiid’s quotes from after the Sixers’ Game 7 loss to the Hawks. He didn’t say he felt betrayed by being included in the Sixers’ attempts to trade for Harden last fall,” Shelburne wrote. “His first three years in the league, the Sixers had such a bright spotlight on them and so much early success, he told them, that he didn’t feel like he could make the mistakes other top draft picks were afforded. His growing pains were too public and consequential. He needed to start over, he said, in a place where he ‘could make mistakes.’ ”

The idea that Simmons felt uncomfortable experimenting with his game on a team that entered the last three years eyeing a deep playoff run or a title is understandable. To some degree, it’s also an indictment on his training habits for not reaching a point as an outside shooter, post scorer, driver, and face-up hub where he can effectively utilize those skills frequently.

A low-stakes environment where youthful development is encouraged or prioritized over wins and losses could, in theory, be more conducive to offensive growth for him. Taking more jumpers and missing more jumpers on a team jockeying for home-court advantage, for example, is harder to justify than it is on a team where the lottery is the endgame for a few years. Not every situation, even one where there’s lots of winning like Philadelphia, breeds the same context for individual players. Every human is different and responds in varying ways to these opportunities.

Again, Simmons shoulders the foremost culpability for his offensive shortcomings and this isn’t to blame the Sixers for being too good. That’d be an absurd sentiment. But he’s also correct that his development, or lack thereof, was magnified because of Philadelphia’s success in a manner most young guys do not experience.

Simmons and the Sixers being so good so quickly into his tenure is a testament, in part, to him and his abilities. To be relied upon so greatly as a rookie is a luxury, one he doesn’t feel allowed for the most widespread expansion of his skill-set. It’s fair to be skeptical of whether or not he’d be a completely different and better player on a team with fewer immediate expectations, though it is not hard to see why he believes that and also why, to others, it may appear he’s avoiding accountability.

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Jamila Woods and Peter CottonTale’s Video for ‘WYD (You Got Me)’ Is Sweet As Pie

Jamila Woods and Peter CottonTale are two of Chicago hip-hop’s most illustrious minds. Woods is a noted singer, poet, and activist whose 2019 album LEGACY! LEGACY! paid tribute to Black luminaries and rightfully cracked the top 25 of our Uproxx Music Critic’s Poll that year. CottonTale came up as a core producer for the breakthrough material of Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, and Woods, and has recently claimed credits with the likes of DJ Khaled and Justin Bieber.

Now the the pair have joined forces for the latest single “WYD (You Got Me)” and it manages to preserve the feeling of summer sunshine as winter starts to creep in. There’s a childlike melody to the tune, reminiscent of the innocence of summer cookouts and spending time with friends and family. There’s autotune vocals sprinkled throughout from both, but Woods’ voice is as sweet as peach pie. The hook is definitely something we’ll be repeating as she sings: “Good evenin’, I called you. I hope you will see that. So hit me as soon as you see this. I’ll be there in times when you need me… to be there, someone you can lean on. When I see ya. If it’s something you needed, believe me. If got it. If you got it. You got me.”

The song is part of the new film Summertime. Directed by Blindspotting‘s Carlos López Estrada, it weaves the tale of 27 different youth spoken poets throughout the streets of Los Angeles.

Watch the video for “WYD (You Got Me)” above and watch the very cool trailer for Summertime below.

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‘The View’ Roasts Tucker Carlson For Going ‘Full Bigot’ On Pete Buttigieg’s Paternity Leave

After mocking Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for taking paternity leave to care for his newborn twin, Tucker Carlson found himself in the hot seat as the ladies of The View tore him a new one for going “full bigot.”

During his Thursday night’s broadcast, Carlson said the following: “Pete Buttigieg has been on leave from his job since August after adopting a child – paternity leave, they call it – trying to figure out how to breastfeed. No word on how that went.” The View co-hosts were not having it.

After the panel ripped Carlson for being an “equal opportunity bigot,” Ana Navarro went for the jugular by questioning the Fox News pundit’s humanity. “Maybe he doesn’t know about breast-feeding because he came out of a robot,” Navarro said via Mediaite. “That could explain his lack of heart.”

Following a round of discussion about the challenges of balancing work and family life, Joy Behar, who was filling in as head host for Whoopi Goldberg, made sure to get a few jabs in at Carlson by comparing his “manly” accomplishments to Buttigieg’s service records.

“I’d like to just say that Pete Buttigieg served six years in the Navy Reserve and was deployed in Afghanistan,” Behar said before going for the jugular. “Tucker Carlson was booted off Dancing with the Stars after he couldn’t even do the Cha Cha.”

Now that’s a solid burn. Tucker should take notes if he’s not too busy writing sloppy lactation jokes.

(Via The View on Twitter)

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Eli Derby Is LVRN’s Young Prodigy And He’s Someone You Need To Pay Attention To

When scanning the music industry for the best teams and rosters, it’s hard to leave Love Renaissance out of the conversation. More commonly known as LVRN, the label is responsible for big-name artists like 6lack, Summer Walker, Shelley FKA DRAM, and Westside Boogie as well as growing acts like BRS Kash, Cruel Santino (fka Santi), Young Rog, OMB Bloodbath, and more. With that being said, there’s also a new name on the roster that’s worth paying attention to.

Eli Derby, an 18-year-old singer from Maryland, is carving out his own lane on the LVRN team. For those who follow the label close, you’ll most likely recognize his name from LVRN’s 2020 Christmas album, Home For The Holidays where Derby delivered a pristine cover of “This Christmas.” His rendition, which featured background vocals from Summer Walker, was gentle and filled with youthful spirit as he also pushed the limits for what proved to be a personal standout on Home For The Holidays.

That cover birthed an interest in Eli Derby, and from that moment on, the wait to hear what else the young singer had to offer began. Eight months later and a slight step out of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic later, Derby returned with his official debut single, “Gaslight.”

Uproxx caught up with Derby over a Zoom call for an interview where we learned more about the young singer. Where did his musical journey begin? How did it elevate? What’s next? All while learning his personal goals for the future.

I read that you used to be in your church choir when you were younger. What experiences from your time there do you feel contributed to the artist you are today?

It started off with my grandfather, whose actually a pastor. So just being in the church, I was forced to either be an usher, or play, or sing. I had to do something, they would not let me just chill or sit down, so I got active. My uncle was a drummer, so I saw him and I was like, “Wow, I want to do this.” He taught me a few things and then a couple of years later, I wanted to sing. I kind of felt like I had a voice, you know, you sing in the shower all the time and you just feel like you have a voice and if the church likes it, everybody will like it. Then my dad was like, I want you to be better than me so either you’re gonna be a singer full-time, you just can’t play drums and that be it, cause I kind of stopped wanting to sing, so he was like play piano or guitar, so I chose piano. I started playing keys in the church, singing, and drums, I was on all that.

Later, I saw Ed Sheeran performing on YouTube just watching and researching his stuff. Growing up during that time, I don’t know, for some reason I didn’t really see a lot of Black people playing guitar. So I was like, that’s how I could be different a little bit. I decided, hey, I’ll pick up the guitar and learn how to play all these instruments. So [I was playing] guitar, piano, drums, bass, and singing in church. That’s how I started making and producing my own music, playing my own stuff, and just making my own sounds and creating my own world is just me who I am, as Eli.

When does the point of focus shift from investing your time in the choir to working on your YouTube covers?

So I’ll say around 12 or 13 I really like started to take this seriously. My dad was just very, very supportive, shout out to my dad and my mom. They were very supportive of me. As a matter of fact, my mom is a singer and my dad was an actor, so they really understood what I was trying to do and saw the passion that I have for music, so it was a no-brainer. Around 12 or 13, I started performing. My dad knew a couple of people in the DMV area, which is where I’m from. So I’d perform at the late-night shows, around the clubs out there, he would sneak me in, get me out there to perform, and get me comfortable on-stage performance in general.

Speaking of your dad, at just eight years old, he would sneak you into bars to perform for people there. I imagine this helped with spotlight moments, do nerves throw you off guard nowadays and how do you stay ready for these opportunities?

Yeah, I mean there are definitely moments where the nerves kick in. I had a performance at a show like two weeks ago in DC with a couple of hundred people, the nerves definitely kicking in. I have to remember though, we all eat the same, we all sleep the same, we all look at the same sun, the same moon, the same sky. We all are human, so why would I be nervous? I’m ready for this, it’s my time. That’s all I think about.

When did you feel like things were changing for you?

Yeah, it was two moments. The first one was when I put out the Frank Ocean cover for “Close To You.” I did that one and then the next one was when I put on my original song “Love Song.” I did the studio version of it, and I mean, the girls went crazy. I just got mad DMs telling me to drop the song, drop the song. I did not think it was gonna be that crazy, it’s different when people really like your music. That’s your goal, right? But it’s just crazy to me that people actually listen to what I’m saying.

Fast-forward a bit and now LVRN is home for you. What made them the ideal place for you to start your career?

LVRN, they’re the best really. I’m 15/16 at the time I met them and I see these five successful Black guys, and it felt right. It felt like a place where I could be myself. The energy was very genuine and their taste in music and how they just operate as a tempo is not just n****s guessing, they know what they’re doing. So I think that’s made me say yeah, they’re the ones.

With the release of “Gaslight,” your first single on LVRN, what made this the perfect single to release to the world as your debut solo single?

So I wrote this song during the COVID quarantine. I definitely wanted to put out a song during that time, because then I was in and out of the studio making music. I’m seeing no touring, no performances, I’m like bet this is my time to really just hone in on this project, at the time it was like okay, we’re gonna do an EP. So I wrote a song about being gaslighted because that was a situation that happened at that time. I’m writing the song and DJ Dahi, one of the producers, sent me a sample. I go into Logic, I flip it, I put some drums to it, add a little guitar, and I’m just writing to the sh*t. The situation is about a girl I was in a relationship with, she was my best friend for years, and problems occurred and she tried to pin me against the wall as if I was in the wrong, but really she was in the wrong. So, I was researching what that really meant and I saw “gaslighting” and then a friend told me what it meant and I was like, “Oh sh*t! Gaslight!” and that’s how it came to be.

With that being said, what can you tell us about your next project?

So I got a lot of cool stuff coming out, super excited. The next single is coming out pretty soon, I’m excited about that. The third single is with a feature, but I can’t say who yet, but y’all really gonna like it. It’s a fucking vibe, it’s a vibe, it’s some R&B to the core. It’s crazy, I’m super excited.

What’s your favorite 2021 album?

Imma go with Tyler’s album, I like that one. It’s been playing on my playlist the most, I don’t know why, I think that Kanye’s was good, Drake’s album was good, but what I keep playing to is definitely Tyler. I will say, Summer Walker’s coming out with the album and I’ve heard a couple of tracks, it’s looking close.

Is there anything you’re nervous about going forward? Confidence is key, but I would assume some fears exist somewhere.

Yeah, definitely. I feel like all artists go through it whether they want to admit it or not, cause I have nothing to lose. It’s like will I be successful? Will I be big? You always have doubts in your head as an artist, will people give a f*ck? Will people listen? Will people pay attention? Will people care? A wise man said those are things you definitely want to ask yourself. It would be foolish not to ask those questions because what I’m doing is so important to me, it’s my life.

On the flip side, what are you most excited to show or do as a new and growing artist?

I want to go on tour, I want to be a touring artist. That’s a flex because to say I wake up every morning, go to a different city for n****s to scream my music that I make is a fucking flex. So I feel like once it gets to that, it’s gonna be over. I’m a performer to the core, it all stems from church, right? If you can get people in church to get up off their feet, clap their hands, and sing with you? Church is very cut-throat, they won’t tell you this, but church is cut-throat. If you’re not good, they will boot you off, they will take the mic from you, they will give it to somebody who’s better. I’m a performer to the core, I dance, sing, play piano, guitar, all that sh*t, I just entertain. I think when I go on tour it’s gonna be crazy.

With less than two months left in 2021, what are your remaining goals for the year?

I want to get a couple more performances in. I may be going to London next month to do a show out there, that would be dope hopefully I’ll get to do that. Just really perform like, I know when the music sh*t goes crazy, I want it to be like, I’ve been doing so it’s nothing new.

As new fans discover your music and join you on this journey, what’s one thing you want them to know?

Everything I write is from me, the music you hear I produce or helped produce. It’s all from me as a person. I don’t cap about what I talk about, and it’s soulful. With this generation it’s good, but I feel like there’s missing something. I feel like that’s what I bring to the table.

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Juliette Lewis Is Spitting Fire Over On-Set Working Conditions As Hollywood Crews Prepare For An Imminent Strike

Juliette Lewis knows a thing or two about how things work in Hollywood. She’s regularly appeared in films and on TV since the late 1980s before really taking off in the early 1990s with a run of movies that included Kalifornia, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers. On the note of that last movie, however, Juliette has revealed that the production was a grueling one. She made that declaration while expressing solidarity with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). The union is currently at the bargaining table regarding working conditions for crew members, and President Matthew Loeb is promising that, if an agreement isn’t reached, 60,000 film and TV workers will strike on Monday, October 18.

While detailing her support for the IATSE, Juliette took to Instagram, where she revealed that 15-17 hour work days are customary for actors, and she’d like for her colleagues to speak up, too. Her main point, though, is that crew members work even longer hours, which means that they’ve got things rougher (and for lower pay) than talent does. Juliette revealed that she was conditioned as a teenager “to never take a sick day off, or it would cost tens of thousands of dollars. And you’d be labeled ‘problematic.’” This led to her working while having the flu and migraines and “through walking pneumonia on Natural Born Killers for two weeks where I thought I might die.”

All of this, Juliette says, illustrates how Hollywood productions don’t allow for adjusting schedules “to accommodate a person’s health.” Here’s more of her lengthy rant on why actors should stand up for those crew members who make their jobs possible:

“I am actually thankful for this worth ethic it’s served me in many areas of my life but I am an actor so when I think of the crew who shows up hours before actors do and leaves hours after actors do and are asked to work miracles daily that’s a whole other story that goes beyond a soldier like worth ethic and that’s why all you have to do is read some of the stories you see people dying behind the wheel… Every actor should be standing up for their crews and talk about how we’ve worked in asbestos filled totally unsafe uninhabitable environments to get the shot and because they were cheap to rent out and got permits on that.”

Juliette stresses how crew members frequently show up hours before actors do and leave hours later, so that the stars may shine. They do so without SAG protections, too, so there’s no 12-hour turnaround protection as the actors receive. You can read her full Instagram post below, in addition to a very simple (and forthright) message of support from Samuel L. Jackson, who dropped a “#fuckaroundandfindout.”

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Cardi B Explains Why She Stopped Talking About Politics: ‘I Was Tired’

Throughout her initial rise to stardom, Cardi B was one of music’s most outspoken voices, from developing a friendship with Bernie Sanders to calling out injustices on social media, but lately, she hasn’t addressed current events or politics quite as much. When a fan asked why she stopped talking about politics as much, Cardi’s heartbreaking response made perfect sense.

“I was tired of getting bullied by the republicans and also getting bashed by the same people I was standing up for,” she replied, referring to the outsized backlash she received for many of her political statements. By aligning herself with Bernie Sanders, she became a favored target for conservative commentators, who also took to criticizing her music and performances, even as they ignored plenty of other rappers whose music was even raunchier than hers. However, also receiving criticism on her opinions from the other side of the aisle seemingly took its toll, as well.

As if to prove the point, one commenter posited their own cruel reasoning behind the two-sided backlash: “cus you sound like you’re slow when you talk and it was ruining everything.” Cardi had the perfect response, though, pointing out that “It was the only way YOU would of understand me.” Cardi’s down-to-earth explanations, which always came from her, may have been unpolished, but by no means is she out of her depth; Cardi’s AP History teacher pointed out that the rapper was an A-student, despite her freewheeling approach to grammar on Twitter.

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Peppa Pig Gets An Apology From Adele After Confronting Her About Saying No To A Collaboration

Over the past year, Peppa Pig — the titular animated character from the long-running children’s TV show — has been involved in a surprising amount of music porks beefs. Back in December, Cardi B expressed frustration with how Peppa was influencing Kulture to want to jump in puddles, since that’s a pastime in which Peppa often indulges. Just last month, the Peppa Pig Twitter account went at Kanye West to brag about getting a higher album review score from Pitchfork than West did with Donda.

Recently, it was Adele’s turn for a barnyard brawl. Fortunately, the situation has been amicably resolved.

During a recent livestream, Adele was asked if she’d collaborate with Peppa, and she answered emphatically, “No!” Peppa responded on Twitter with a GIF of her hanging up a phone (which comes from this hilarious scene, by the way).

Fast-forward to his morning, when Adele was doing an interview with Capital FM. During the chat, the hosts brought up the Peppa situation and then played a message from Peppa herself, much to Adele’s surprise. Peppa said, “Hello, Adele! That made me really, really sad when you said you wouldn’t collaborate with me. Why not? Don’t you like me?”

Adele’s first response was to question the authenticity of the voice (Peppa has been voiced by multiple actors over the show’s run). She said, “Is that the real nowadays Peppa? First of all, babes: Peppa, that ain’t the one of you I know. That’s not the same voice as the one I grew up with my son. But Peppa, I’ve already said today: I regret it. I spent three years watching you. I really regret it, and any time you want to go jumping in muddy puddles and sing in muddy puddles, I’m with you, babes. I felt terrible the second I said it.”

Adele referred to an interview with Hits Radio from earlier in the morning. During that conversation, Peppa was also mentioned, and Adele said of the situation, “I felt terrible because I watched Peppa Pig every day for three years when my kid was younger. […] Peppa, I’ll always do a duet with you, babes. Love ya!”

If Peppa does end up getting an Adele collab, she’d be in rare company, as Adele doesn’t have many guests on her upcoming album, 30.

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La Cocina VA and Capital One are teaming up to help entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds launch culinary startups

This story was originally shared on Capital One.

Inside the walls of her kitchen at her childhood home in Guatemala, Evelyn Klohr, the founder of a Washington, D.C.-area bakery called Kakeshionista, was taught a lesson that remains central to her business operations today.

“Baking cakes gave me the confidence to believe in my own brand and now I put my heart into giving my customers something they’ll enjoy eating,” Klohr said.

While driven to launch her own baking business, pursuing a dream in the culinary arts was economically challenging for Klohr. In the United States, culinary schools can open doors to future careers, but the cost of entry can be upwards of $36,000 a year.

Through a friend, Klohr learned about La Cocina VA, a nonprofit dedicated to providing job training and entrepreneurship development services at a training facility in the Washington, D.C-area.

La Cocina VA’s, which translates to “the kitchen” in Spanish, offers its Bilingual Culinary Training program to prepare low-and moderate-income individuals from diverse backgrounds to launch careers in the food industry.

That program gave Klohr the ability to fully immerse herself in the baking industry within a professional kitchen facility and receive training in an array of subjects including culinary skills, food safety, career development and English language classes.


Photo courtesy of Capital One

The organization also offers participants the opportunity to enroll in its Culinary Small Business Incubator, a 9-week training course that teaches participants to create and scale their own food-based startups.

During that program, LA Cocina VA provides participants with support for developing the internal operations of their businesses and provides a shared kitchen for community members to rent space at affordable rates.

Patricia Funegra, who founded La Cocina VA in 2014, said that helping people like Klohr is exactly why she wanted to create the incubator.

“I have firsthand experience of the difficulties of being an immigrant and person of color in America,” said Funegra. “At the same time, I also know the enormous opportunities that exist here to improve people’s lives.”

With the help of funding from Capital One, the center has been able to support 160 participants since opening with roughly 85% of graduates being hired for jobs in the food industry upon completion.

La Cocina VA also received support from Capital One’s Community Finance team as it provided financing for the construction of Gilliam Place, an affordable housing unit in which La Cocina VA moved its operations into in 2020.

After moving into Gilliam Place, Funegra launched the Zero Barriers Training and Entrepreneurship Center, a hub for startup founders that includes a kitchen incubator and a community cafe to provide workforce development opportunities for residents.

That support comes as part of the Capital One Impact Initiative, a multi-million dollar commitment to support growth in underserved communities and advance socioeconomic mobility by closing gaps in equity and opportunity.

La Cocina VA students also worked alongside Capital One Cafe ambassadors to learn skills in management and personal finance.

Photo courtesy of Capital One

“The COVID-19 pandemic forced entrepreneurs, especially people of color and immigrants, to shift their entire business models just to survive,” said Emilia Lopez, the Senior Vice President of US Card Customer Resiliency, who serves on La Cocina VA’s Board of Directors. “As a La Cocina VA board member, I am proud of the commitment and support Capital One provides La Cocina VA and thankful for their effort this past year to help entrepreneurs quickly adapt their businesses to support alternative dining options.”

La Cocina VA is also in constant communication with employers, partners, hotels and restaurants to make them aware of their pipeline of graduates.

“La Cocina VA taught me not just the physical work that goes into baking and cooking but also how to have a good understanding to mentally and financially launch my business,” said Klohr. “They’re helping me make those connections and I know they’ll always have my back.”

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Denver Nuggets X-Factor: Michael Porter Jr.

As the NBA season approaches and the preseason comes to an end, we’ll be taking a look at the player on each team that holds the key to unlocking their full potential.

For the Denver Nuggets, the goal is to breakthrough in the loaded Western Conference after one conference finals and two conference semifinal trips in the last three seasons. They have the reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic and, at some point, hope to have Jamal Murray back at full strength later in the season. Murray’s health coming back from an ACL tear and when he can return is a considerable question mark, but assuming he is back for the playoffs and back to his usual self, then so much of the Nuggets hopes of rising above the rest of the West’s elite falls on the shoulders of Michael Porter Jr.

Last season saw MPJ breakout to the tune of 19 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 54.2/44.5/79.1 shooting splits, as he put his considerable scoring talent on display from all areas of the floor. The next step for Porter Jr. to take is being able to more consistently impact games in a positive way, whether he’s scoring a lot or not. Part of that is being more steady as a scorer. He can be a bit streaky, and when Murray returns and takes away a few more touches per game, it will be even more important for him to be able to stay engaged and be able to be a consistent contributor in big games, not just serving as a microwave who can heat up and go on a personal 10-0 run. Porter Jr. is certainly capable of making that leap, but it’s the step in his development at the NBA level that will determine if this year he can be that third star to elevate Denver above the rest of the West’s elite.

On top of continuing to harness his considerable offensive talent, there is still work to do defensively to avoid the lapses that have at times driven coach Michael Malone mad. MPJ can get caught ball-watching and isn’t always as crisp with his rotations as he needs to be, and the attention to detail as a team defender — because the flashes are there as an on-ball defender given his length — is the type of thing that separates real contenders. He’s not alone in that regard in Denver, but given his stature as a hopeful superstar, taking that step into being even a neutral team defender, much less anything of a positive, would be a significant gain for the Nuggets.

The talent is there for the Nuggets, it’s about how it all fits together and whether they have enough balance on both ends of the floor to overtake teams like the Lakers and Suns, but if Porter Jr. continues his ascension into the superstar level, there is a real chance for them to cause anyone problems.