Most Cleveland Cavaliers fans had probably never heard of Craig Porter Jr. prior to his signing with their favorite team as an undrafted free agent a few weeks ago. The fact is Porter grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana, and went on to play junior college basketball, and then played the last three seasons at Wichita State. That’s not exactly a formula most young athletes use to make it to the NBA.
Porter has been overlooked his entire basketball career and that’s something that Porter has gotten used to and that’s not all that bad of a thing, to be honest.
While playing at Wichita State, he led the team in points, assists, rebounds, and blocks. Keep in mind he’s a 6’2″ point guard so what he’s done already and what he’s been showcasing at the Summer League in Las Vegas is pretty impressive.
Can Craig Porter stick around in the NBA?
I lived in Wichita, Kansas for 26 years and know a little bit about Shocker basketball. While you may not know the Shockers of Wichita State to be churning out NBA players every year, there have been several over the years that have shined.
Look no further for a former Shocker than newly paid and new Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet who is now considered one of the best guards in the NBA. He came into the league back in 2016 after signing as an undrafted free agent with the Toronto Raptors. He played exclusively with their G-league team. It wasn’t until 2018 that he signed a multi-year deal with the big league club. Now he’s a star in the NBA and just signed a three-year and $128.5 million deal.
I’m not suggesting that Porter is going to end up like VanVleet, but his efforts, attitude, and persistence so far are all the things you need to succeed in the NBA. He’s also shown the Cavs fans and the rest of the league that he’s got the skillset to separate him from just your average guard. Here are three very impressive things that Porter has already been showcasing in these summer games.