James Harden, Dennis Schroder, and Keon Ellis were all available for the Cleveland Cavaliers' exhilarating 132-126 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night. Even with the added depth, Kenny Atkinson had not forgotten about Craig Porter Jr. — yet.
Porter played 23 minutes off the bench, the most of any rotation member from the second unit. The Cavs guard finished that matchup with four points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Before the Cavaliers' push to reinvent themselves at the trade deadline, Atkinson embraced featuring his young guard in the rotation for one clear reason — effort. Porter took Lonzo Ball's job in the process and eventually made Cleveland's choice to wipe their hands clean of the experiment an easy one.
The Cavaliers are suddenly flooded with quality guard options, though. That should not mean immediately going away from the guys who brought you here. However, Atkinson may eventually look at some of the shiny new toys on the team and believe there is just more upside to them than Porter.
Craig Porter Jr. is the most vulnerable Cavalier when playoff rotations shrink
Porter should still have an opportunity to cement his value before the postseason arrives, but he does stick out as a name who could see his role diminish as the year goes on. The young Cavs guard does a lot of the things that do not show up in a box score. Even so, the competition is fierce.
Harden's arrival in Cleveland immediately solidifies the starting point guard spot. After Darius Garland's injury troubles had him popping in and out of the lineup, there should be a reliable star presence that is a constant at the position now.
Schroder also brings the Cavaliers with a productive and experienced backup point guard to look for minutes on every night. The scoring efficiency for the veteran guard is a little underwhelming this season, but he deserves the benefit of the doubt considering those struggles came with the Kings.
Ellis is a guy who should see his minutes go up more and more as he settles into the new system in Cleveland. The 3-and-D value is impossible to ignore, and always desirable in any rotation.
While all of these players are establishing their footing with the Cavaliers, Porter will be clawing to remain where he is now. With several injured bodies still on the horizon for a return, there will be plenty of options for Cleveland in the spring, and a ton of competition for Porter to stay on the floor.