Cavs: 3 players that must step up with Kevin Porter Jr. sidelined
By Dan Gilinsky
Kevin Porter Jr. is out indefinitely due to him reportedly being in concussion protocol, and a few players on the Cleveland Cavaliers need to step up with him sidelined.
It’s unfortunate that with the Cleveland Cavaliers so banged up right now, another injured player was added to the list recently. Going into Wednesday’s game versus the Boston Celtics, who were injured in their own right, though, Cleveland was without Andre Drummond (left calf strain), Tristan Thompson (left knee contusion) and Darius Garland (left groin strain).
The Cavs were still without Alfonzo McKinnie (plantar fasciitis in his left foot) and Dante Exum (left ankle sprain), too, and the Wine and Gold will be reportedly without Dylan Windler (stress reaction in his left leg) the entirety of this season.
Plus, early on in that Boston matchup, one where Cleveland was defeated 112-106, Kevin Porter Jr. went to the locker room after playing only 10 minutes, due to a reported head injury. This is quite a blow for the shorthanded Cavs, as KPJ has averaged 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.9 steals per game in his last 15 outings, as indicated by NBA.com.
According to Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff (and h/t Sports Illustrated‘s Sam Amico), Porter left early in that C’s game seemingly due to a blow to the head.
In relation to that, as Amico noted, Porter is out indefinitely, and KPJ was placed in the NBA concussion protocol on Thursday, h/t The Athletic‘s Kelsey Russo.
#Cavs Kevin Porter Jr. has been placed in the NBA concussion protocol. He sustained contact to the head during the first half of last night’s game against the Celtics.
— Kelsey Russo (@kelseyyrusso) March 5, 2020
A Cavaliers team press release on Thursday then expressed how Porter’s injury status will be updated as necessary. It’s unclear as to how long Porter will be sidelined, but the Cavs need to be ultracautious with Porter here.
Ultimately, with Porter’s absence in the rotation, three Cavs’ players come to mind that need to step up.
One of those pieces is a veteran guards whose minutes-share has been sporadic for much of this 2019-20 season for the Wine and Gold, but Cleveland needs him to make plays more often for a bit here.