Houston Rockets: How Kevin Porter Jr. can get to the next level

Houston Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr’s shot chart needs to change

The NBA has become enamored with building offenses that generate the most analytically friendly shots of 3-pointers and lay-ups. This reality extends onto players, who if they can change their shot chart can see their production skyrocket.

Porter is a player where if he can reorganize his shot chart towards layups and threes he could see a massive spike in his scoring and shooting efficiency. In his rookie season, he took 29.5-percent of his shots at the rim and converted them at a 71.8-percent clip.

This is the basis for an exceptional offensive player but Porter tanked his overall shooting numbers by taking 33.1-percent of his shots between the 3-point line and from three feet or more from the rim. In other words, Porter attempted enough mid-range shots and floaters to undo the fact that he was proficient at getting to and finishing at the rim.

Porter has an easy way to improve his scoring, simply take fewer of these shots. First, he’s not very good at hitting them, and, second, these shots aren’t very good to take in the first place. If Porter can move 10-percent of his mid-range shots to beyond the arc and another 10-percent towards the rim then he’ll have the type of shot chart that leads to massive scoring totals.

Stephen Silas has his work cut out for him this season but getting Porter to take the right shots will go a long way in getting his career back on track. However, changing his shot chart won’t just make him more efficient from the field it will have the knock-on effect of getting him to the line far more often.

Next: Become a free throw monster