G League Ignite guard Jalen Green is a clear candidate to be selected by the Rockets at No. 2 overall in the 2021 NBA draft, and it certainly seems that he would be happy to team up with Kevin Porter Jr. in Houston.
Just 19 and 21 years old, respectively, Green and Porter Jr. could potentially become Houston’s guard duo for the next generation. (Porter Jr., of course, was a first-round pick in the 2019 NBA draft.)
Some outside observers have wondered how the playing styles of Green and Porter Jr. might mesh together, since historically, both have largely operated as high-volume scorers. But what’s most important is how they would approach the pairing, themselves — and from that perspective, it appears they’re very much on board with giving it a try.
On Wednesday evening, Porter Jr. popped in on an Instagram Live session that Green hosted on his account. “KP, you know that’s a scary backcourt,” Green said. “Don’t say too much, haha,” Porter Jr. replied.
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) July 1, 2021
Porter Jr. began following Green on Instagram earlier this week.
It remains to be seen if Houston general manager Rafael Stone will see the combination as optimistically as the players themselves already appear to. There’s also the matter of whether Green will even be available for the Rockets to select, since some media reports have indicated that he could be a consideration for Detroit at No. 1 overall (which would put consensus frontrunner Cade Cunningham in play for Houston).
With nearly a month to go until the July 29 draft, both the Pistons and Rockets plan to interview and work out several top candidates, and it’s possible that momentum could move in any number of directions. But if Porter Jr. is ever consulted by the Rockets to assess a potential backcourt pairing with Green, it appears that he’s already becoming a fan.
