Nice find. This piece gives you a small insight into how things may have gone off the rails for him. Humanizes him. He definitely struggles emotionally and has some things he clearly needs help to work through. Basketball has always been his escape though. Seems when he is away from basketball due to injury or whatever is when things have gotten the most dicey for him off the court. Get him some help and lock him in the gym.
The Athletic - Kevin Porter Jr. trade: What went wrong with Cavs and what Rockets are getting When they say the NBA never sleeps, this is what they are talking about. Late Thursday night, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers came to an agreement on a trade involving second-year player Kevin Porter Jr. This comes less than a week after Porter’s locker-room incident with the team, a poor start to a season when he hasn’t played in a single game because of personal reasons. Porter was drafted 30th in the 2019 NBA Draft. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 50 games, starting three of them. Porter shot 44.2 percent from the floor, 33.5 percent from 3 and 72.3 percent from the free throw line. What, exactly, is Houston getting in Porter? Why did the Rockets feel confident in taking a swing at him now, why did the Cavs ultimately cut ties with the 20-year-old, and what can we expect from him? The Athletic’s Kelly Iko (Rockets beat writer) and Kelsey Russo (Cavaliers beat writer) teamed up to discuss all things Porter. Kelly Iko: Kelsey, as our resident Cavaliers expert, I’ll give you the floor: Why did the Cavs make this trade now? We’ve heard about some of the off-court incidents, but Porter just turned 20 last year! Had it reached a point in Cleveland that the front office just preferred to deal him rather than deal with him? Kelsey Russo: The outburst that occurred in the locker room last week ultimately led to this decision. Porter joined the Cavs for the first time all season on the bench when Cleveland faced the Knicks at home on Jan. 15. As The Athletic reported earlier this week, there was an incident in the locker room after the game, and that the Cavs front office spent the weekend trying to trade him or weighing whether to waive him. Porter was not with the team at practice Saturday after he had returned to practice just two days earlier. I think the situation did reach that point. The Cavs’ ultimate decision obviously took into consideration the arrest from his car accident in November, even as charges were dropped, along with an alleged incident in August, and other factors. The Cavs kept much of the situation in-house, only to say that they had a plan in place for his return to the team, and they continued to have conversations about that plan through the early part of the season. There’s a feeling of disappointment, as Porter showed promise during his rookie season and looked like he would be a prominent part of the team’s future. However, I think the Cavs have seen what they’ve been able to build so far with the true buy-in from players, and the outburst in the locker room was the tipping point. Iko: So, I get why the Rockets did it. If you’ve followed this team for a while, you know that Houston operates like this all the time, taking chances on players who could be worth more than what they are actually obtained for. It’s a trade that has perception and floor-ceiling written all over it. The Rockets sent a future second-rounder for a player who was taken in the first round just a year ago. I mentioned it earlier, but he’s only 20! This is a low-risk move by GM Rafael Stone with a potentially solid reward. Houston’s offense has sputtered a bit since the trade of James Harden to Brooklyn, and the second unit has looked particularly thin when it comes to offensive weapons. Injuries, of course, play a major part in this. Eric Gordon will go back to his sixth-man role once John Wall and Danuel House return, but the reserves could still use some added punch. So, locker room outbursts aside, what are some positives about his game that you discovered last season? I saw a talented, athletic lefty with a quirky release and a good cutter. But what was your overall view of Porter? Russo: I definitely agree with you in that assessment, and I’ll add that I saw potential in him as a closer. There was one game, in particular, when the Cavs beat the Heat in overtime last February and he had a tying step-back 3 followed by a pull-up 3 to give the Cavs their first lead. Porter struggled to take those 3-pointers early during his rookie year. He would hesitate and end up passing the ball, even when he had a good look. To combine that confidence to take his 3s, along with playing during clutch minutes, showcased his growth up to that point. He’d learned to find opportunities to use his offensive mind to score, pass or be a playmaker. The other part of my view of Porter comes on the defensive end. Aside from the obvious growing pains of a rookie season, he could defend players, switch onto bigger opponents or generally help on defense. He could guard multiple positions. He contributed on the defensive end, and that’s a factor that will be present when he gets to Houston. Iko: I’m glad you brought up his defense. Typically when we talk about rookies, whether in a casual NBA Twitter setting or elsewhere, we tend to only focus on the offensive side. Being a good defender will earn Porter minutes under Stephen Silas, a first-time head coach who is looking for stability and grit with this new, younger group. For years, the Rockets have been known for their offensive chops — and no one is calling Porter a savior by any means — but it appears that the Rockets are attempting to change their identity/perception to that of a team that can routinely get stops. Offensively, two things come to mind that I want to ask you about: Porter’s ability to operate in the pick-and-roll and his spacing. He shot 33.5 percent from the floor last season, which isn’t exactly great, but could that just be because of his strange form? Concerning ballhandling in pick-and-rolls, obviously he doesn’t need to be world class at it now or in this current rotation — staggering Wall, Victor Oladipo and Gordon can help in that aspect — but he needs to be serviceable in case an opportunity presents itself. What’s your assessment of those two aspects? Russo: I do think his low shooting percentage could be attributable to his different form, but it’s also that confidence level I touched on. Porter averaged 42.1 percent from 3 at USC. As his rookie season went on, he was building his confidence level to let his 3s go and trust in that shot, and his percentage increased. As a wing in this league, he has to take those shots and space out the offense. I do think he can help space the floor and provide that shooting option on the perimeter. When it comes to handling the ball in the pick-and-roll, Porter did show flashes of that potential, but it’s an area that will need attention. As a pick-and-roll ballhandler last season, he was in the 26th percentile, according to Synergy Sports. He had an effective field goal percentage of 34 percent on pull-ups. I think Porter also demonstrated that he can get separation off the bounce through pick-and-roll creation. I think it’s an element to his game that has room to grow. I think the key to remember, since he hasn’t played yet this season and has been away from a competitive NBA game since last March, is there will be an adjustment period whenever he returns to the floor. He’s also going to be behind in his development from his rookie year to his second season. I don’t think it negates his potential, but the timeframe is a factor in the outlook for his return. Iko: Very important stuff you just brought up there, Kelsey. Luckily for him, the entire Rockets team is going through an adjustment period. Production-wise, I could see his shooting percentages go up in Houston under Silas. Against the Rockets last season, Porter had one of his best games, scoring an impressive 24 points, hitting six triples and getting three steals. I remember he was extremely aggressive from the opening tip, flying around defensively and punishing Houston’s sag defense on him — think the Luguentz Dort treatment. He looked pretty confident with the ball in his hands, attacking downhill and in isolation against slower players. The Rockets won the game, but man, did Porter make them sweat that night. I know Houston keeps big performances from opposing players in mind, and this had to play a factor in the Rockets’ decision to pull the trigger. The sheer potential should intrigue the front office. As talented as Porter is, I think the most important aspect of this whole trade is the environment that Porter is entering. In recent years — and even weeks and months — Houston hasn’t exactly been the paragon of culture. The Harden trade, as I’ve written ad nauseam, allows for an organizational reset.
continued... It will be crucial for Porter to be surrounded by individuals who genuinely care about his well-being and state of mind. I think lead assistant John Lucas is the perfect candidate for that. Lucas has been through just about every sort of situation you can imagine in his decades in the league, and he can connect with any player brought his way. House has been extremely close to him after his incident in the Orlando bubble and even before that. Mental health is a major part of professional sports that isn’t talked about as much as it should be. Porter’s now-former teammate Kevin Love has been a big advocate for that, to his credit, but how was the environment around Porter during his rookie season? Was he constantly put in positions to succeed? Russo: I completely agree, Kelly, especially since Porter is only 20 years old, he needs that support system. During his time here in Cleveland, I do think Porter was put in positions to succeed. When J.B. Bickerstaff was an associate head coach last season, he worked with Porter on the court and served as a mentor to him. I never got the sense last season that the environment around Porter was anything but positive. Sure, he did have some maturing to do as a 19-year-old in the league. And the Cavs as a franchise had their own problems circulating, with locker room turmoil surrounding former head coach John Beilein and his eventual stepping down. But Porter had the support from veteran players, who acknowledged his potential on the court. Even during the extended offseason, Bickerstaff, other members of the coaching staff and players reached out to one another so everyone had help getting through the pandemic. Bickerstaff has said on multiple occasions about how they are in the business of people, caring for their players beyond the basketball component. That stayed true through Porter’s personal issues during the offseason, and the Cavs did what they could to help and support him. Bickerstaff said earlier this week that he and the franchise did their best to make it work and want to see Porter succeed.
I'd love to get Gerald Green back here as a mentor. They has similar play styles and body type. I'm not so concerned about KPJ's impact on the locker room because Boogie and Tucker aren't going to let some 20 year old act up in the locker room. Now that Harden is gone there aren't many clubbers left either.
haha thanks, btw was thinking more in line of why tank when this guy clearly can get you ballers and he dont even needs the real picks to do it! Now imagine him doing his work with having great picks available?! The Stone Age baby!
Really excited to see him play. Maybe we can pair him with another Porter Jr. by the trade deadline...
Yes, he is a buy low master. There was a time where Morey was like this and then transitioned to ine of the best rebuilds without tanking in sports history. He was able to transition to roster/team building pretty well but buying low before a breakout was always his strong suit. Let’s hope Stone continues this approach for awhile so we can find some useable pieces along the way to building a contender in 2024 and beyond (post LBJ). Selling high is also crucial to building a team and Stone has done well with this in the Covington trade. Obviously traded Harden high but was forced to do so. Got maximum return for both IMO. On another note, I see Clemons has been waived. Are we in the hook for his salary next season? Also anyone know what trade exception we used for this move?
Looks nice but damn, he has a terrible shot selection. Please no more iso, pull up mid-rangers. Please.
As fans we are passionate, we joke, we exhibit frustration and anger in our posts. It was good to see this video. I am rooting for the kid. I hope he succeeds not only for my team but most important for him. I hope he finds his way in Houston.
Agreed, sounds like depression issues, he even mentions it himself. Being away from the game and the crappy 2020 we all had will wear on a person especially one with mental struggles already. He definitely needs to handle his life better and the way to do that is by playing more basketball. It is the perfect escape. It will be an uphill battle for him because he also seems like he might have some selfish/entitled tendencies towards teammates, etc. Needs to view his teammates as his brothers, not enemies. He will only turn it around if he knows he has hit rock bottom and not sure he believes he has yet.
were you there on the place of the incident? what do you know perhaps woman tried to pull a gun or something
If he really wants to play like Harden he needs to be completely allergic to the mid-range game (although Harden had a solid mid-range game) but was more efficient at the rim and from 3. I saw a stat where he was 75% at finishing around the rim for a wing so he is obviously a good finisher around the rim. Overall only a 50% 2 point FG% so that tells me he is shooting too many 2's away from the rim. Stats back this up. 72% at the rim (0-3 ft.), 35% (3-10 ft), 29.5% (10 ft - < 3 pt), 33.5% (3-pt land). He actually doesn't shoot a ton from midrange but if he cuts out those low percentage shots he could get his overall FG% to 47-48% pretty easily since he is such a good finisher. Improving from 3% seems feasible as shooting 33.5% on high volume as a 19 year old is especially promising IMO.
I consider just getting him in a game to be a success. We don’t really know what his game shape or mental state is, so it may take time to work through several things. Love the gamble on upside. Kid looks like a freak athlete that is very dedicated to improving his game.
no I’ll take the 1st rounder actually....especially for a team collecting assets to maneuver for a move down the road. 1sts are a commodity and “3 2nds” doesn’t equal the same value as a 1st especially in a trade. im not sure what bozo trade value board your looking at but nope.
