Takeaway #2: More playmaking chances for KPJ
Porter has really come on in recent weeks as a reserve wing, and while mostly appearing at the 3 spot as Osman’s primary backup.
This season, KPJ has shown plenty of flashes as a driver off-the-bounce, and is so talented near the rim as a finisher, and coupled with that, he’s shown much more feel off the ball at this point as a 19-year-old than I would’ve expected to this point.
Porter has averaged 7.9 points per game this year in 21.1 minutes per game, and most of those minutes have come with Clarkson on the floor with him, and with KPJ showing flashes of reserve scoring and the ability to create for others, I’d expect more chances for him to make plays without Clarkson now in the rotation.
Porter is consistently able to create space off-the-bounce when he’s in, and plus, he’s really been a promising passer as a reserve, as evidenced by a respectable assist rate of 14.8% for a score-first player, as indicated by NBA.com. Now Porter will turn it over, too, as he has a turnover rate of 14.1%, but as a rookie wing, that’s more than understandable, and his vision is a big positive.
With Clarkson out of the lineup, I’d expect KPJ to have more usage, and him shooting 37.2% from three-point range in his last 15 games (as noted by NBA.com) is particularly encouraging, and again, without Clarkson in there with him going forward, I’d think KPJ could become much more of a focal point in his minutes.
His chemistry with Darius Garland when Garland’s been in with reserves in recent games has been a budding one, and in coming months, expect that to grow even more, too.
Alright, so on to the third takeaway.