The Bucks are having an on-court realization about Kevin Porter Jr. the Rockets already knew

The Houston Rockets have seen a lot of players come and go in recent years.

That's what happens when you're tanking. Some players are transient. Every team in the NBA needs to fill roster spots. From 2019 to 2023, that's all a lot of players were doing for the Rockets.

Kevin Porter Jr. was not one of those players. Some Rockets fans thought he was a cornerstone. It was unclear if the front office felt the same. Porter Jr. was one of the Rockets' leaders in usage during that period, but some would suggest that he was merely commanding the tank.

That's how it looked when he returned to Houston with the Bucks on Tuesday.

Rockets fans shouldn't miss mercurial guard

It's difficult to discuss Porter Jr. without going into the reason the Rockets traded him. Let's just agree to talk about basketball in this space and leave it at that.

After all, there is no shortage of basketball reasons why the Rockets should be glad to be done with Porter Jr. On Tuesday, he reminded them of all those reasons. Porter Jr. had 4 points on 2/7 shooting from the field and 4 turnovers in 11 minutes.

He dribbled directly into Amen Thompson, who easily blocked him. He airballed a midrange jumper. Porter Jr. threw a lob pass to Jericho Sims that was too high.

Do you know how misplaced a lob has to be to be too high for Jericho Sims?

Porter Jr. also had 3 steals. As is his custom, he flashed potential. He gave Bucks fans a reason to believe in him.

They should avoid taking the bait.

Rockets glad to be done with Porter Jr.

OK. I lied. Let's circle back to Porter Jr. the human being for just a moment.

It wouldn't be right to speculate too deeply on what happened in that hotel room. It's a delicate subject, and the victim is thoroughly on record as preferring the subject isn't discussed publicly. Let's just say this:

Kevin Porter Jr. is not a person you want to rely on.

That matters in the NBA. Porter Jr. is a candidate to wind up suspended for a litany of reasons. Yet, even if he was a model citizen, he's problematic on the court.

Specifically, Porter Jr. has a poor feel for the game. He makes bad decisions. He's a turnover machine and a ball hog. The Bucks can justify taking a flyer on him. They. needed offensive firepower and had limited assets.

Rockets fans already know he isn't worth the trouble.