Cleveland Cavaliers: Two bold predictions for Kevin Porter Jr. for 2020-21
By Dan Gilinsky
Bold prediction #1 for KPJ in year two with the Cleveland Cavaliers: He’ll average 15.0 points per game
The first bold prediction I have in regards to KPJ’s second season would be him averaging 15.0 points per game for Cleveland.
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This might seem a bit lofty, but with a bigger minutes-share seemingly being a guarantee with what Porter showed last season, it’s not that so out of the realm of possibility.
With Porter having that aforementioned advanced handle for his age and being able to create room so easily via hesitations and in-n-out dribbles, and with his ability to finish through contact, this suggested bold prediction seems bold, still sure.
It does not seem so much so, though, with how Porter can get his own offense, both against set defenses and with how electrifying he is in transition.
Plus, Porter improved as a cutter as last season progressed, and with quality bigs in Love, to go with Larry Nance Jr. seemingly often on the floor with Nance, that will only help the youngster as a cutter. Porter and Darius Garland have nice lob chemistry as well.
Additionally, while I see KPJ getting his share of looks via the unassisted variety, and likely more in year two even, he should still have his opportunities on catch-and-shoots after ball-swings/drive-and-kicks from Garland and others.
I could see Porter feasibly having a better hit rate from three-point range on catch-and-shoot attempts, too, and likely on a bit higher volume than 1.6 attempts per outing.
On those attempts in 2019-20, KPJ had a hit rate of 40.7 percent, per NBA.com’s shot tracking data, and along those lines, I could realistically see his overall three-point hit rate of 33.5 percent increasing to say, roughly 36.0 percent.
With a bigger role next season, again, 15.0 points per game for Porter seems to be a bold prediction at this point to me, but not extremely lofty, with what Porter has already shown thus far.
We’ll see more and more of his star potential as a key on-ball creator in 2020-21, and meeting this bold prediction, or coming near it, would further show that he’s well on his way.
Moving on, the second bold prediction I have for KPJ has to do with his playmaking.