Cavs heavily involving Kevin Porter Jr. early should jump-start his year 2

Expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to go to Kevin Porter Jr. early and often.

He took some time to get going in year 1, but Kevin Porter Jr. had a successful rookie campaign for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2019-20, Porter had 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per outing, and got more comfortable as the year progressed, particularly after Jordan Clarkson was traded to the Utah Jazz.

Looking at next season, Porter is set to be one of the Cavaliers’ best on-ball options, with his driving/finishing prowess, athleticism and ability to generate space off-the-bounce.

Plus, Porter having an assist rate of 14.7 percent was a positive, and in his last 12 games active, he had an assist rate of 17.1 percent. With Porter’s passing feel and handle, it should be intriguing to see him hopefully at the 1 at times next season, too.

That’s due to how J.B. Bickerstaff shortly after taking over the Cavs’ head coaching reigns noted how he wanted to see if KPJ could do so in what was supposed to be more of a closing stretch last season. We didn’t see that due to the league’s prior novel coronavirus-induced hiatus and Cleveland’s 2019-20 campaign eventually ending with them not being an Orlando team.

Nonetheless, I’d expect Porter to get a decent chunk of primary playmaking opportunities next season. In any case, with how Porter often gave Cleveland juice off the bench last season, and with the squad seemingly being so high on him, I’d expect him to be heavily involved right from the outset.

The Cavs heavily involving KPJ early should jump-start his year 2.

Porter again was not as involved it seemed earlier on, which led to inconsistency, which is understandable for a young player.

But even while I’d still expect him to be utilized more as a bench player next season, Porter should still end up playing more than half of games, and he’ll get plenty of workload. And that should get him in-rhythm next season from the jump.

From the outset, we should see Porter in a bench bucket-getting role, and for Bickerstaff and company, that should pay dividends. With what KPJ displayed when he was given ample opportunities in year 1, he’s more than capable of hitting the ground running.

With hopefully a bigger role next season, we should see Porter have his considerable share of free throw attempts throughout as well, albeit him having 3.1 per-36 minutes was a fairly high rate. But with the Cavaliers seemingly set to feature him more as an initiator in year 2, and I’d imagine even early on, he could very well see that clip increase.

Now, with Dylan Windler it’d appear set to get his share of minutes next season, that could cut into Porter’s usage some, but overall, I’d expect Windler and KPJ to have a promising two-man game, with both creating good looks for one another often.

Porter, who hit 40.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-point attempts in 2019-20, per NBA.com’s shot tracking data, could greatly benefit from ball-swing looks from Windler, too. Windler’s all-around shooting abilities, combined with him being a willing and able passer could aid in Porter’s growth as a cutter, as well, though.

And I don’t want to discount the progression Porter displayed off-ball as last season progressed for him, and Windler’s presence as a potential knockdown shooter should help create quality looks for Porter inside in that realm. That’s along with Larry Nance Jr. and Collin Sexton, to some degree, for instance.

That said, even early on next season, the Cleveland Cavaliers should be putting the ball in Porter’s hands often, feasibly in a key bench role.

He’s a player that can ease the playmaking burden on Darius Garland/others and lessen the scoring burden on Sexton/Kevin Love in some stretches. And with his driving ability, Porter should be able to create his share of high quality opportunities for those on the floor with him.

Regardless of who the Cavaliers end up selecting in the 2020 NBA Draft, it’s clear as day that in order to get his second season going and to further aid in his development/sparking the offense, the Cavs should be involving Porter heavily early on in 2020-21.

There’s little reason to think, even with Windler and others in the mix, that the Cavs won’t have KPJ make plays for himself and others early and often, even at next season’s outset.

That should only help his confidence, too, and jump-start him. Moreover, I can’t wait to see what it’s in store for the 20-year-old in year 2 for him.