The individual seasons of Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor are not going to make headlines for their undeniable impact on the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, both guards have quietly pushed each other all year, and that has made the overall team better off for it.
Porter and Proctor have been competing for the third point guard spot on the Cavaliers. On another team, that slot on the depth chart may not be as meaningful. For Cleveland, it absolutely is.
Injury troubles for Darius Garland have quickly made anyone at guard much more important for the Cavaliers. If that wasn't enough, the overall load management for Lonzo Ball, that has been practiced since his arrival, only heightens the value of their depth.
Porter and Proctor were always in a position to be crucial members during the regular season for the Cavaliers. The product that has been on display to this point can be seen as nothing but a win for Kenny Atkinson and his staff.
Tyrese Proctor-Craig Porter Jr. duel is pushing Cavaliers to another level
Porter has averaged 5.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steal per game, shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from beyond the arc. Proctor has posted 4.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, with worse shooting splits of 34-30-85.
From a production standpoint, Porter has outplayed Proctor. If one of the two is going to be favored for minutes, it would be the former. However, things are not always that straightforward.
Sometimes a given matchup will call for more size and versatility. That is where Proctor can be the preferrable option. Injuries and management can always play a role as well.
Porter was unavailable for the Cavaliers' matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a hamstring injury. Ball was also absent. That suddenly thrust Protctor into an important spot off the bench, and the rookie delivered.
Proctor scored 11 points, shooting 3-of-7 from the field, while adding three rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes off the bench during the Cavaliers' decisive 120-105 win over the Clippers. The rookie guard got his moment and shined brightly.
Those opportunities are growing harder to come by with how well Porter has played. To that point, the Cavaliers third-year guard has been forced to elevate himself due to Proctor being much better out of the gates than some may have expected.
"Iron sharpens iron," Proctor said of Porter in the preseason.
That sentiment was an honest one back then. It still remains entirely true to this day.