Bucks fans about to learn painful Kevin Porter Jr. lesson Rockets already learned

The Houston Rockets let Kevin Porter Jr. run point for years, to disastrous results. The Bucks are apparently refusing to learn from them - it seems Porter Jr. will start at point guard for them in the 2025-26 NBA season.

Some Rockets fans are feeling shell-shocked. Others are laughing at the top of their lungs. It depends on how strong your disposition is.

Memories of Porter Jr. masquerading as a floor general are burned into our collective consciousness. It was bleak.

It was the worst era in Rockets history.

Former Rockets guard is no floor general

Let's talk about Porter Jr.'s most statistically productive NBA season. In 2022-23, he averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.2 turnovers per game.

The assist-to-turnover ratio is the tell. That is far too many miscues relative to the number of assists he averaged. Porter Jr. had ample opportunities to operate as a ball-handler in pick-and-roll actions. The Rockets notoriously tried to start Bruno Fernando over Alperen Sengun, seemingly to pair Porter Jr. with a lob threat.

It didn't matter because Porter Jr. rarely saw the lob opportunities. The results of a typical Porter Jr. pick-and-roll were - well, a shot for Kevin Porter Jr. He didn't have the floor vision to get his teammates involved:

That's because he's not a point guard.

Porter Jr. would be better classified as a combo guard. He can run point in short bursts when he's expected to anchor a unit's scoring. He can play alongside better players off-ball. It's never been that he's a non-NBA player. Porter Jr. needs an appropriate role, and he proved that "primary ball-handler" was not that role during his time in Houston.

There's also the matter of his maturity. Without revisiting the gruesome details, Porter Jr. wasn't a model citizen in Houston. For the Bucks' sake, here's hoping he's grown:

On and off the floor.

Former Rockets guard needs to redeem himself

Who knows? This could work. Crazier things have happened:

Albeit not many.

Porter Jr. was so far from a viable point guard during his time in Houston that it's nearly impossible to imagine he can play the role now. Still, it can't be ruled out. Player development can take unexpected turns in the NBA.

The Bucks had better hope that's the case. The stakes are high. Trade rumors have been surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo for some time now. If the Bucks get off to a shaky start, the formal request may be impending. Bad point guard play is a perfect recipe for a shaky start:

And that's what Porter Jr. has typically provided.