Houston Rockets: 3 things to look for in Kevin Porter jr.’s debut

The Houston Rockets are preparing for Kevin Porter Jr. to make his season debut after leading the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G-League. The second-year guard out of USC found his way to Houston under less than ideal circumstances.

Porter was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 30th overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft before being moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a draft-day trade. He enjoyed a promising rookie season as a 19-year-old before friction with the franchise ended his tenure in Cleveland.

Porter didn’t feature in any games this season for the Cavaliers and the franchise became so desperate to move on from him they sent him to Houston for a heavily protected second-round pick. The move amounts to the closest thing an NBA team can do without simply giving away a player for free.

The Rockets’ shrewd piece of business will start paying dividends soon as Porter absolutely lit up the G-League and looks ready to reignite his NBA career. Over 15 games in the G-League, Porter averaged 24.1 points, 7.3 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game on 44.8-percent shooting.

The Vipers put the ball in Porter’s hands constantly as his 29.9-percent usage rate can attest to, and he largely rewarded their faith in him. While the Rockets have recently looked like a G-League team, Porter won’t handle the ball nearly that much with the senior squad.

The Rockets are starting their youth movement and Kevin Porter Jr. is leading the charge. He’ll have to take his lumps to reach his potential but these are three things to look for in Kevin Porter’s NBA debut.

Next: Thing to look for #3