5 reasons Kevin Porter Jr. will be the lynch-pin to the Rockets success next season

3. KPJ could be the Rockets' version of Manu Ginobili

KPJ has the ability to be in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year award, and if he does perform according to expectations, I fully expect a 12-15 game jump in the win column.

It is no coincidence that the team that fields a Sixth Man of the Year candidate is usually firmly in the playoff rankings. By definition, the Sixth Man is a starting quality player who sacrifices his own production and minutes for the betterment of the team.

However KPJ is special even amongst typical reserve prospects. He definitely fits the mold as a microwave scorer, capable of getting hot at all three levels, but he is also one of the Rockets’ best perimeter defenders as well.

Tack on the playmaking reps he’s gotten over the past two seasons and we might have a Sixth Man with multiple upsides, perhaps fitting the mold of Manu Ginobili.  He will lead Amen Thompson,  Tari Eason/Cam Whitmore, Jeff Green/Jae'Sean Tate, and Jock Landale against opposing bench units.

This already projects as an above-average unit and will look even scarier when Udoka experiments with different lineups. KPJ has the potential to make this unit dominate, whether as a spot primary ball handler or as a secondary playmaker off of Thompson’s drives.

I can see the bench unit outplaying the starters on certain given nights, which is a testament to how much talent the Rockets have. An Amen to Kevin alley-oop would be a staple in second quarters, but I am most excited to see them put opposing backcourts in jail. Udoka has all the tools on his bench to create a suffocating defense.