After missing the final two games before the All-Star break with an illness, Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. practiced with the team on Wednesday and Thursday and is not on the injury report for Friday’s game in Orlando. He might not be 100 percent recovered from the issues he said were the upper respiratory problems that have forced him to miss three games and hampered him in several others. But Porter said he was “close enough.” “The last couple days, I needed this break,” Porter said. “I’ve been dealing with my chest, breathing problems, for some time now. This break, having time to rest and getting the right medicine helped me and I’m feeling a lot better.” Porter has been in and out of the lineup while going through his best stretch of shooting of the season. He has made 50 percent of his 3-pointers in his past 10 games played. His frustration, however, is not from having to repeatedly interrupt a stretch of good shooting but in having had to miss games and struggle through others. “Not the shooting but not being able to play, not being able to play every game is frustrating,” Porter said. “Not being able to be out there every game, sometimes the illness it beats you. I’ll take that L. I know my guys are going to hold it down. They just want me to be 100 percent so I can be back out there with them.”
Traded during a season for the first time in his nine seasons in the NBA, Rockets guard Dennis Schröder has taken on a different role with the Rockets, seeking to lead his young teammates more than he had before. They have noticed and praised his influence after this week’s two practices as they did after last week’s three games. “Just his being vocal in his communication is key,” Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. said. “It’s been a big difference already, him being here for a short amount of time, he is teaching a lot of us how to be a professional. That’s what we need around this team. We’re young. It’s good having veterans around like Eric (Gordon) and Dennis especially.” Schröder, who is in the final season of his contract, not only praised the willingness of teammates to learn, but expressed hopes to build something greater. “The group has been great so far,” Schröder said. “I think we can create something here for this season, of course, but for the future also, try to create a winning mentality from the organization to the last player. I think when we do that every single day and try to get better, we’re going to be good.” Still, being traded at the deadline was difficult for a young family, even if he said the basketball part of his adjustment was simple. “I still play basketball games, I still play in the league,” Schröder said. “My wife doesn’t like it because we have two kids. She’s everywhere I go. It’s one flight. With me and the players and the organization, it’s all the same.” Schröder and his wife Ellen had a son, Axel, in Feb. 2019, and a daughter, Fatou, in August 2020.
I honestly don't know why KPJ would causes issues again, I hope the higher ups told him to sit out because we want a higher pick and him playing increase the chance to win.
KPJ slip saying "we have to be scary next yet" sounds like he was told next year is his last if he shows no signs of being better.
That's reading wayyyy too much into what was a glorified platitude. What he actually said: "...we gotta be scary, we're gonna be scary."
im not even sure why they wanted to make him a PG in the first place. SF with guard skills is good too.
I can see, defensively next season: Sengun/Garuba Hopefully our 2022 pick/KJ KPJ/Tate Green/Matthews Christopher/Nix Party poopers Wood and Gordon still here obviously. KPJ, Green and Christopher can easily split the 1/2/3 defensive assignments. Christopher and Green are very disruptive even at their height with decent backcourt wingspans and quickness. KPJ has a 6'10 wingspan not bad at all defensively, though not elite. On offense, Sengun can take a lot of pressure off the playmakers too, can run a lot of offense through him. KPJ/Sengun/Christopher can split playmaking duties next season. We have 4 rookies and none of them are going to be bad defenders, that is going to accelerate this rebuild a lot.
Are those stats for the entire season? Because we knew he would struggle early on making the transition from wing to point. However, since the beginning of the year, he has shown improvement and his stats meet the benchmark of an average NBA PG. Hopefully, he continues to improve. I'm not ready to give up on the KPJ experiment just yet.
I am. He is much better as a wing and a lot of his best games come from him playing SG and Green as the pg. He just need to bulk up a bit he can be the SF.
The Houston Rockets’ Will Eventually Have To Make A Decision On Kevin Porter Jr. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rahath...-decision-on-kevin-porter-jr/?sh=3f8138d339e2 I agree with this. Rockets should extend KPJ this offseason with a 3-4 year contract worth $10 to $15M per year. Having KPJ playing next year without an extension is the worst thing Stone could do.
Yes. Average PG is what he is, I think KPJ at the 2/3 with Jalen and a real Pg would be amazing. If the Rockets get stuck at the 3-4 draft slot and need to make a decision between Paolo or Ivey. I’m taking Ivey and giving up on the Porter project.
Rockets saw what happened with James Harden and thought anybody could be a PG. it turns out James harden is a once in a generation player
FACTS! That’s what I’ve been saying from the jump. What Harden did transitioning to point guard from another position at this level and and doing so seamlessly and at an elite/all time great level is simply unprecedented. Being able to make make good passes alone doesn’t make you a point guard. It’s certainly a requisite skill, but it’s one of several. Guys don’t make it to the NBA, change positions, and become good point guards. It just doesn’t happen. Doesn’t mean he can’t be a good player. Doesn’t mean he can’t be an all star caliber player. Those things are not mutually exclusive.
