Burning question for each Cavs’ 2019 draft pick for next season

Can Porter be more efficient on pull-ups next season?

Porter again has been very solid in his rookie season at least as still just a 19-year-old. On the season, he’s averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals in just 23.2 minutes per game, according to NBA.com.

Porter’s likely Cleveland’s best athlete on their roster at the moment, and I’ve been fairly surprised by him having an assist rate of 14.7 percent this season, and while he is prone to some unnecessary dribbling, leading into turnovers, what he’s shown leads me to believe he has a high ceiling as a pick-and-roll creator, too. Plus, his cutting feel has been a bright spot.

Porter I’d expect to definitely be playing more minutes on average next season, where under Bickerstaff and company, the dynamic playmaker should only get better with more experience. I also firmly believe, given him showing improved team defensive feel as the season has progressed leading into the season’s suspension and him being so athletic and with a solid 6-foot-9 wingspan, that KPJ could be the Cavs’ best defender in the near future.

In regards to the burning question for Porter, though, to me it’s can he be more efficient on pull-ups next season?

On the year, Porter has only had an effective field goal shooting clip of 34.0 percent, per NBA.com’s shot tracking data, and that’s been on a healthy 37.0 percent frequency. KPJ has also only hit 25.7 percent of his pull-ups triple attempts, but what has been a regular occurrence is Porter getting more than adequate separation on his pull-up attempts.

He has shown flashes of being able to go off and get hot when it comes to pull-up shooting, though, and next season, hopefully with more experience, Porter can hit more regularly as a pull-up shooter.

If he can do that, with his playmaking upside, ambidextrous finishing acumen on short range looks and/or at the rim, and also factoring in his power, which has played into him hitting 71.8 percent from 0-3 feet out, Porter could feasibly be a 14.0-15.0-plus point scorer next season. That’s under the assumption that he’ll have more minutes-share, which I’d think he will.

Hopefully, Porter can stay mostly healthy next year as well, though. He missed a ten-game stretch in January due to a left knee sprain and had missed Cleveland’s last three games leading into the season’s suspension due to a concussion. The same goes for Garland, who missed Cleveland’s last five games leading into the season’s suspension due to a left groin strain.

Anyway, if KPJ can hit his pull-ups more regularly in 2020-21, he’s going to be even tougher to handle for opponents.