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

The Houston Rockets trade for Kevin Porter Jr is the exact type of move the franchise needs to be making in their post-James Harden world. Porter is a young, inexpensive player with loads of potential who simply needs the right environment to thrive and for the cost of a protected second-round pick, it’s a gamble worth taking.

Porter was graded as a five-star prospect out of high school but his fiery personality derailed his college career at USC and tanked his draft stock. Selected with the 30th pick in the 2019 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, Porter was traded twice before he ever played an NBA game.

First, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons on draft day, and then he was moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers six days later. Porter, in his rookie season, primarily came off the bench as the Cavaliers already had their backcourt of the future set with Darius Garland and Collin Sexton.

He didn’t set the world on fire but he showed enough in his rookie season that he has a clear NBA future. However, due to an undisclosed disciplinary reason, Porter hasn’t featured this season and the relationship soured to the point that the Cavaliers were comfortable moving him to Rockets for next to nothing in return.

How Kevin Porter can reach his potential with the Houston Rockets

The Rockets now have a tremendously talented player that is in need of a strong support system and a role that allows him to reach the heights that his talent says are possible. Going off of his rookie season there are a lot of promising indications that, if coached correctly, Porter can become a game-changer for the Rockets.

Stephen Silas has had an incredibly difficult start to his head coaching career, and Porter won’t change that, but it does open the door to a tremendous opportunity. These are three things the Rockets and Stephen Silas can do to get Kevin Porter Jr to the next level.

Next: The shot chart

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

Houston Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr needs to get to the line

For a player that was as adept at getting to the rim and finishing, Porter did not rack up the free throw totals one would expect. His free throw attempt rate of 24-percent was below the league average of 26-percent.

Almost every elite offensive player feasts on a steady diet of free throws and the area of the court where players get to the line the most easily is right at the rim. If Porter becomes more aggressive attacking the rim by passing up open mid-range jumpers he should see his free throw rate balloon to well above league average.

It’s difficult for young players, used to physically overpowering amateur opponents, to seek contact for the sake of contact but it’s a skill that all elite scorers possess. Porter needs to get uncomfortable, take his lumps, and then take his free throws if he wants to become the best version of himself.

Unlike his shot chart, this is a skill that needs to be worked on in practice and in the offseason because simply rumbling towards the rim is not a foolproof way to get to the line, although it certainly helps. Porter will need to master the skill of drawing fouls but he has as good a base as anyone to be able to add it to his game.

Basketball is not simply an offensive game and getting talented young offensive players to buy in on defense has been a thorn in head coaches’ side since James Naismith nailed a broken peach basket to a ten-foot pole. Stephen Silas needs to get Porter to improve on defense if he wants him to become a true NBA quality starter.

Next: Take pride in his defense

Houston Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr and defensive pride

Porter had an unimpressive rookie showing on the defensive end, which is unsurprising for a 19 year old. His defensive rating of 115 points per 100 possessions is not inspiring but there are few underlying numbers that could portend a bright defensive future.

Porter posted a 1.9-percent steal percentage and a 1-percent block percentage in his rookie season. While those percentages appear minuscule, a 1.9-percent steal percentage was a top-50 mark in the NBA last season.

Even if Porter is not the next coming of Tony Allen, he has shown the ability to swipe a few extra possessions for his team with active hands and anticipation. However, his 1-percent block percentage shows a player that was a bit too lazy on closeouts.

Porter is a gifted athlete, with the size and length to contest shots and snag a few more blocks than he showed in his rookie season. Guards typically aren’t judged by their shot-blocking, but with the league taking more and more 3-pointers being able to contest and block shots as a perimeter player has never been more valuable.

Defense comes down to effort and if Porter’s past transgressions are any indication his effort and intensity can waiver. Stephen Silas and the Rockets coaching staff need to get Porter to take pride in his defense and convince him that he has the potential to be a difference-maker on that end.

The Rockets should be excited to have such a talented young player join their roster. Porter has his warts but the potential for a productive NBA player is there.

If the Rockets can get him to change his shot profile, draw more fouls, and commit on the defensive end, they’ll have themselves an outstanding player. In a year or two, the Cavaliers may feel that they’ve been hoodwinked because this trade has the potential to be an absolute steal for the Rockets.