Lonzo Ball needs to remain glued to the Cleveland Cavaliers' bench in 2026. That is where this situation has been trending in the 2025 portion of this season, and it would be the rightful path for Kenny Atkinson to take with the calendar flipping to the new year.
Ball's scoring has been rough this season. Simply put, his ability to put the ball in the basket is not at an NBA level anymore. At the very least, that is what the evidence from the early parts of this campaign would suggest.
When the Cavaliers went away from Ball in their recent matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, they managed to take down one of the best teams in the NBA during the process. The minutes offered by Craig Porter Jr. delivered a strong case for him to be the permanent backup point guard.
It is understandable as to why Ball deserved a long tryout period. The Cavaliers gave up a valuable point of attack defender in Isaac Okoro to acquire Lonzo. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses. In the case of the Cavs guard, there is an argument to be made for that time to be now.
Cavaliers must bench Lonzo Ball for the good of the team
Ball has shot 25 percent or worse from the field more times than one would like to count in 2025-26. The short version is that it has been the majority of his appearances this year. More than half the games played by the former second overall pick have involved him hitting that brutal distinction.
Porter is not the perfect backup point guard by any means, but there is a lot to like about him by comparison. There are some players who just bring a contagious energy off the bench, and the 25-year-old is certainly one of them.
"CP really, his offensive rebounding, for a 6 [foot] 4 kid, it's amazing what he does. So really good minutes, really good energy," Atkinson said after the Spurs win.
Porter ranks towards the top of all Cavaliers players when it comes to net rating. He comfortably outpaces Ball in that category.
The two-man combination of Porter and Jaylon Tyson has also been a particularly good one for the Cavaliers. There should be no surprise there. Both players are tremendously hard workers from the second they step onto the basketball court.
Ball will still get his looks. It's tough to believe he won't. However, his best value to the team in the long-term may just be as a contract they can get off the books during the 2026 offseason.