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.
1. He’s an “impact player”
Porter is good at most things in basketball. He can score, rebound, assist, and even block shots. This is what he did at Wichita State and he’s picked up right where he left off in Las Vegas. Last season with the Shockers he averaged 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5 assists, and had 46 blocked shots which all led the team.
Keep in mind, this is the summer league and some Cavs players have referred to this tourney as a glorified professional AAU tourney like middle and high school kids play in. There is a lot of simply “scoring buckets” and the defense can be lackadaisical but it’s still against tougher competition than in college.
In the semifinal game against the Brooklyn Nets, Porter finished with 12 points, seven assists, seven boards, and two blocked shots. In his previous start earlier in the week, he went for 22 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals, and one block. He scored seven of the final nine points in that close win against the Chicago Bulls.
In the semifinal game, he scored on a couple of fadeaway jumpers from the top of the key and at the baseline. His defense has been solid as well and many of his blocks are from behind when the bigger player thinks he has a step on him.
Porter has been an unselfish player and seems to have a very good eye on the court. Feeding a pass ahead in a transition has been common to see so far. He also has led some great passes inside on the block to his big men like Isaiah Mobley.
2. Rebounding and basketball skillsets are off the charts
The youngster that grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma has talked about wanting to be a big man when he was growing up and while he grew to 6’2″ it wasn’t the ideal height for a post player like one of his favorite players of the past Dwight Howard. He also came to like Rajan Rondo as well and when he described his game he brings up these two former NBA stars.
His rebounding has been off the charts going back to his college days. Porter plays with persistence you can see when he’s on the court. He likes to get inside and fight among the big men trying to bring down the boards.
His instincts have led him to be sneaky and quick on shots that are being taken and be able to be in the right spots for the boards.
His footwork both on defense and offense has been awesome to observe so far. He’s constantly getting up and through the passing lanes and disrupting the opponent’s offenses.
On offense his ability to shift gears, hesitate or blow by an opponent has been fun to watch as well. When he knocked two fading jumpers down with a guy in his face in the second half of the semifinal game I was very impressed. Developing that jumper and keeping the defender off balance because they don’t know what you’re going to do next is always a great advantage and Porter seems to come about these things naturally.
3. He’s Even-Keeled
The other big area that those who are watching Porter play now and others that had watched him play in college have all noted his level-headed demeanor. He never seems to get rattled or at least seems very even-keeled.
You never want to have your emotions get the best of you and affect your play and while most athletes try to stay away from getting too emotional or wrapped up in a moment, many players can’t stay out of their own way.
Porter has had some big moments and delivered a few in these games to help his team win but whether it was a good play or not, you can tell that Porter doesn’t let the past play stay with him too long. He’s onto the next stop or taking a shot. The kid has confidence and you need to in this league.
Having an uncommon path to the NBA to this point has probably allowed Porter to get more focused on the things he would need to do to make a mark and stick in the league. So far, he’s passing all the tests and the Cavs have found a very nice addition to their guard room moving forward. Porter may not be worth $128 million like former Wichita State player Fred Vanvleet is today but he’s certainly made the Cavs and their fans take notice quickly in this last week.
The former Shocker is on a two-way contract at the moment to play between the Cavs and their G-league time but I have a feeling that Porter could be signing a bigger deal with the Wine and Gold sooner than later.