Kevin Porter Jr. has made quite a showing for himself
Kevin Porter Jr. has quickly become a fan favorite and his play has made a forgettable season enjoyable. Towards the end of the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, the Cavaliers made a big move. They traded four second-round picks along with five million dollars in cash to the Detroit Pistons, who had previously made a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks for that 30th overall selection before the draft, for the rights to Porter Jr.
Everyone, including his fellow draftees, viewed him as the steal of the draft in the annual NBA rookie survey, as was tied with the Denver Nuggets’ Bol Bol, per NBA.com’s John Schuhmann, and so far, it is looking like it.
Similarly to Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr., or KPJ for short, improved his play after the New Year and it was from then on where we saw his best games. KPJ’s first big stretch of games came during the end of January and went into early February. In a seven-game stretch from January 28 to February 12, KPJ averaged 16.1 points per game on 51.9 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from the three-point line, per Basketball Reference.
His next big stretch came on February 24 and went until March 2nd. During this five-game stretch, he averaged 16.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, again as was indicated by Basketball Reference.
This span included the best game of his young career, scoring 30 points, grabbing eight rebounds and notching three steals in a comeback win against the Miami Heat, of which our own Corey Casey provided further detail.
Another game to highlight during this stretch was the game against the Philadelphia 76ers. In this game, KPJ only scored five points but grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists, the second-most he has dished out in a game.
All in all, throughout his rookie season, KPJ has shown off his spectacular leaping abilities and a scoring ability that the Cavs will need. He is oozing with potential but, like many others on the team, KPJ still has things to work out and improve on. The future is bright for the rookie and he should be a vital part of the Cavaliers’ success in the future.