Fresh off an extremely successful stint in the NBA G League, second-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. was a full participant at Wednesday’s practice in Sacramento. As such, the 6-foot-4 lefty will make his debut with the Houston Rockets in Thursday’s game versus the Kings.
Now 20 years old, Porter is viewed as a talented backcourt prospect with considerable athleticism, scoring prowess, and defensive potential.
“KP was good,” head coach Stephen Silas said after practice. “He played point, he pushed the ball up the floor in our scrimmage. He makes plays for others. He’s a willing learner. Great kid. Just enjoyable to be around. To have that fresh face in the group is exciting for me.”
Houston traded for Porter in January, shortly after a series of troubling off-court incidents prompted Cleveland to part ways with him. As part of a phased reintegration plan to the NBA and a gradual increase to his levels of basketball activity, the Rockets quickly assigned him to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who are Houston’s G League affiliate.
In 15 games with the Vipers at the G League bubble, Porter averaged 24.1 points (44.8% FG), 7.3 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 36.0 minutes per game. He largely played point guard for RGV, and he’ll initially be the backup to John Wall with the parent NBA club.
Houston (11-23) enters Thursday’s game on a 13-game losing streak, which is the longest by the franchise in more than 20 years. Thus, Porter’s arrival could help on multiple fronts. Ideally, his presence could provide an on-court spark, allowing the team to begin turning its season around.
But even if that proves too ambitious, the former first-round pick from the 2019 NBA draft is clearly one of the most talented young pieces on Houston’s roster. As a result, his development could give fans and the organization something to be excited about, even if the win-loss record doesn’t immediately show the desired improvement.
“It’s a developmental thing,” Silas said of Porter’s outlook with the Rockets. “The game isn’t going to be as easy as it came for him in the G League. But I think he is prepared, over time, to excel. He has a lot of tools that we will explore and use. He’s going to be good for us.”
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