With the 2024 NBA Draft, Summer League and beginning of the league's free agency period having come and gone, all eyes now turn to the upcoming start of the NBA's training camps. With an unchanged roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers are focusing on internal development and improved chemistry as the winning formula in camp.
Cleveland will hold its training camp at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, starting Oct. 1. Its extensive list of professional alumni includes Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons, Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams and newly-acquired Hornets guard Josh Green. Cleveland's younger options, including forward Evan Mobley and guard Craig Porter, Jr., must take a leap forward during training camp as the Cavs work towards or surpass the expectations set for them before the 2024-25 NBA season starts.
Cleveland will welcome in a handful of new faces with a new coaching staff and the 20th overall pick Jaylon Tyson and welcome back some of its more notable contributors. The Cavs locked down Mobley, center Jarrett Allen and guard Donovan Mitchell with lucrative contract extensions while signing guard Tyson to a rookie scale deal in the offseason.
Craig Porter, Jr.'s growth will be an X-Factor for the Cavaliers
Last season, Porter took an enormous leap from an undrafted free agent to a consistent part of Cleveland's bench crew. Originally on a two-way contract with the Cavs and Cleveland Charge, the former Wichita State guard quickly rose to the occasion for the Cavs as a backup option behind guard Darius Garland. He scored 21 points during a November win over the Denver Nuggets and dished nine assists the very next game in his first few NBA matchups.
His play earned him a standard NBA contract in February on the same day he logged a 27-point, six-assist outing in a win over the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League.
As Cleveland approaches the start of what could be a defining year for them, one that includes a grueling March schedule and a preseason lineup against a handful of division rivals, what will Porter Jr. need to prove to continue being a viable option for a potential contender in the Eastern Conference?