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[Player Assessment] Kevin Porter Jr.

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Dankstronaut, Mar 18, 2023.

  1. Dankstronaut

    Dankstronaut Way, way out here.
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    [​IMG]

    Kevin Porter Jr.
    22 yo, 6'4", 203 lbs.
    Acquired via trade w/ Cleveland for a 2024 2nd round pick
    4th season in the NBA
    Contract
    https://www.spotrac.com/nba/houston-rockets/kevin-porter-jr-31589/
    Stats
    https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porteke02.html
    Summary
    The Rockets are certainly happy to have turned a still-future 2nd into a player that produces as much as Porter does but his mercurial nature on and off the court leave us with a less than defined outlook. He seems to be on his best behavior this season but this will remain a question until time can bury it. He hasn't quite reached star-level on the court but maybe that's not his ultimate form/role either?
    The Good
    [​IMG]

    He's kind of a jack-of-all-trades type. He may be the team's most well rounded player. Handle, scoring and shooting, defense, playmaking, leadership even if it came in the form of a meme-able quote... and a mentality/edge that this team desperately needs more of. He's anything but scared and we could use a modern-era Mad Max/Pat Bev. It's got to be a stiff upper lip against everyone not just 5'11" Dennis Schroder and 198 lbs Christian Wood.
    The Bad
    [​IMG]

    He's the master of none. If he took that star level step in any of those categories he'd be an unquestionable core piece. How much more upward potential-into-production movement does he have left for year 5 and beyond though? Right now he doesn't distribute or score well enough to be the lead guard. He's not a complementary star who locks it down on defense. As good as he can be he makes up for it with selfish play and boneheaded mistakes. John Wall of all people was probably right about being handed the keys too soon. To boot, being so unpredictable too makes it especially hard to determine a future for him.
    Just Derp's Opinion
    He's a good player but it still feels like the lead guard role hasn't been claimed, that he might be better served as a 6th man. Similarly to Sengun, I feel like he's just outside the core needing to improve to solidify that status... and that drafting in the top 2 could immediately change that status regardless. Or a big free agent. Or if a ready-for-primetime star shook loose he'd probably be the #1 ask from this team and we would do it. Basically, I like Kevin Porter Jr. but if he's the egg we have to crack to take another step forward as a team I'm also okay with it.
    [​IMG]


    Other Player Assessment thread by Derp:
    https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/player-assessment-alperen-sengun.319017/
    https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/player-assessment-kenyon-martin-jr.318936/
     
  2. PatBev

    PatBev Member

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    He’s a ****ing super hero

    Head Hancho
     
    #2 PatBev, Mar 18, 2023
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2023
    burlesk likes this.
  3. CHAMPBOY

    CHAMPBOY Member

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    He is a shooting guard so he is a 6th Man on this team
     
  4. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    By far the best player on the team at the 1,2, or 3..... but we keep getting "6th man" hot takes lol.
     
    Sandi and hlmbasketball like this.
  5. groovemachine

    groovemachine Member

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    Good assessment. Definitely the ‘6th man’ prototype, he can run the offense or slide easily into secondary playmaker off the ball. When he plays with a chip he can be deadly on both sides of the ball. Should get around 30 mpg off the bench next year.
     
    Stephen_A and burlesk like this.
  6. MystikArkitect

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    I'm sure this thread will be civil and full of mature debate and discussion.
     
  7. groovemachine

    groovemachine Member

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    i don’t get the KPJ vs. Alpi tribalism. I’m a fan of both players and want both to succeed.
     
  8. AroundTheWorld

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    "He seems to be on his best behavior this season"

    Umm, no.
     
  9. cmoak1982

    cmoak1982 Member
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    I like KPJ, he’s just not being played in the right position. To me he’s a core player but behind Alp/Green/Bari
     
    Arnel likes this.
  10. maj21

    maj21 Member

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    Best player on the team for now. Him, Jalen, Jabari, and tari are gonna be key pieces next season
     
    groovemachine and Dankstronaut like this.
  11. RasaqBoi

    RasaqBoi Member

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    He’s part of a trade this summer.
     
  12. cmoak1982

    cmoak1982 Member
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    Behind Tari as well. Can’t leave him out
     
    Arnel likes this.
  13. AroundTheWorld

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    lol
     
    hajkov likes this.
  14. OremLK

    OremLK Member

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    If he can keep his sh** together, I think he could have a nice career as a 6th man, firestarter off the bench type of player. Poor man's Manu Ginobili.

    What I'm not sure about is whether that will be for the Rockets or for some other team. It will partly depend on his attitude and whether he's really changed at all.

    Regardless, they should certainly be open to trading him for the right deal; to move one of our first round picks up in this draft, or acquire a 20-something pick if there's somebody they really love who falls (Derek Lively?), or for a different young player who's a better fit if we draft a true point guard and/or sign Harden or another free agent PG.

    Anyway, I'm neither particularly low on him nor particularly high on him. He's been reasonably productive this season, while still displaying some truly boneheaded moments and not really looking like a point guard. I think he's a good value right now, but not necessarily a starting player on a championship team since he needs the ball in his hands so much and doesn't really have good playmaking skills or superstar upside IMO. (He would have shown more by now in his 4th season.)
     
    ramotadab and Dankstronaut like this.
  15. Dankstronaut

    Dankstronaut Way, way out here.
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    Idk about "by far" but he might be. It doesn't matter much though, whether it's him, Alpe or Jalen this team is going nowhere until one of them takes a significant step forward. I think he's near his ceiling but that's as someone who can provide great utility in the right role. That role just likely isn't lead guard. This isn't young James Harden leading post-Linsanity, Chandler Bang and Asik to 45 wins.
    I am actually going for that with these PA threads. :shrug:
    It's super toxic. Both players need to improve.
     
  16. Aruba77

    Aruba77 Contributing Member

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    Liking these assessment posts from Derp!

    I think the assessment is mostly spot on. He can’t be the lead guard or point guard, but he’s the best shooter on the team and has the best handles on the team (not named TyTy). I think he’s super talented, even all star talented.

    What I don’t like about his game is the lack of vision, decision-making, and the way he dominates the ball. Some of that can get better with time and coaching. I’ve seen him play really well off the ball. The team does better when he plays more off the ball. If he can adopt a team-first attitude he can be a core piece.

    the maturity issues are still there. I can’t stand the way he calls attention to himself or his melodrama. But I like listening to him in post game conferences and I’m under the belief that he’s a good kid who is sincerely trying. It’s just that he’s immature. But he's also only 22.

    I don’t see a future for KPJ on this team because we have so much invested in Jalen, but good teams need 3 good guards in their backcourt rotation. If he can get over himself there’s a chance he could stick, he’ll have to embrace team ball and different roles.

    it’s hard to gauge what his value is around the league but I’m less optimistic on that than Derp appears to be.
     
  17. Bobbythegreat

    Bobbythegreat Member
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    Sengun isn't at the 1,2,or 3. KPJ is overall pretty far ahead of anyone else on the roster at those positions....but that doesn't say all that much.

    I'm actually pretty positive about the team moving forward, all i took was Jabari remembering that he knows how to shoot a basketball for this team to start winning games. Smith and Green were a massive anchor around the neck of the team all season, which has people overly negative about the team. All it takes is for those two to not completely suck and the Rockets are a pretty decent team. If either of them ever become actually good....or if the guy the Rockets get in this upcoming draft is actually good, the Rockets should be back in playoff contention fairly soon.

    Asik and Parsons were a LOT better than Smith or Green this season.

    That said, no one suggested that KPJ was Harden, he's clearly not....but he has been leading the team to wins lately now that the young role players are starting to do better.
     
  18. DatRocketFan

    DatRocketFan Member

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    He lacks the mentality, iq, court vision and passing ability of a point guard. evident by our offense ratings
    He is able to hit 3s but sucks at drawing fouls

    Cant score well enough to b the star/carry of the team
    Cant distribute the ball/control the offense well enough causing the team struggle

    Sixth man is where he fits best. He can dominate most second unit without worrying about sharing the ball.

    If he and jalen green were to contest the sg position u would go with the younger, team player in green over KPJ.


    Talent is there just being misused.
     
  19. hlmbasketball

    hlmbasketball Member
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    22yrs old!! Most of us were still in college at 22yrs old. So my question is how can you define who a person is or to become at that age? Especially since this is his 2nd yr playing that position.

    Assessing a PG when he is playing with a rookie, two 2nd yr players and one 3rd yr player during a season when EVERYONE knows they are trying to tank is absurd!

    Yet, he is able to get you 20/6/6 most nights and people are saying he's a 6th man or to trade him. Even worse, there are people saying he should be CUT to make the team better!
     
    roslolian and ramotadab like this.
  20. shakes05

    shakes05 Rookie

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    KPJ has definitely shown how valuable he is to our team during his injury absence...the team plays better when he's on the court.
    However, if we get a top 3 draft pick (Wemby or B. Miller) we'll need to consider trading him for a more traditional PG - if we draft Scoot, we shall then keep KPJ and have Scoot run the 2nd unit
     
    don grahamleone likes this.

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