HOUSTON — Eric Gordon has played with some very talented players during his long tenure with the Rockets. He has spent time on the floor with guards such as James Harden and Chris Paul, two players with a unique skill set that distinguishes them from rivals.
The 14-year veteran now sees some of those traits and potential in Kevin Porter Jr., Houston’s current point guard.
“He is maturing more,” Gordon said after Friday’s practice. “There is no question that the talent is there. The dude (Porter) has some real talent. It is all about him continuing to do what is best for the team. He has grown, and his progress is real, and it is definitely coming together for him. But I know he can do more, and I expect a lot out of him. He is our point guard, and he can do a lot of things, so I would like to see the best out of him at all times.”
Porter has now had back-to-back games with double-digit assists versus the Magic (11) and Raptors (11), lifting him to 6.1 per game on the season. Gordon believes that Porter can take his game up another level and thinks that as long as he can continue to spread the ball around, Houston can turn its season around.
“For him, he can be as high of a playmaker as anybody,” Gordon said. “I know he is still young, but he can be as good of a playmaker as anybody out there. He can make the game easier for everyone else as long as he continues to play with more force.”
One area of improvement by the Rockets that has also pleased Gordon over the last four games is ball movement. He had his best game of the season in the 134-127 win at Orlando as he shot 62% from 3-point range, making 5-of-8 shots for the night.
“The ball is moving better overall and guys are getting better shots,” Gordon said. “Whenever you have ball movement, it just gives you more confidence to knock the shot down because you know when to expect when the ball is coming. Once we continue to do that, we give ourselves a chance.”
Houston plays its final game of a four-game road trip against the Pelicans on Saturday at Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans.
