Is Kevin Porter Jr. playing out of position?

Kevin Porter Jr. continues to show potential of being a serious threat on the offensive side of the ball, but some serious struggles remain in his offensive arsenal if he wants to remain a point guard.

The characteristics of a good point guard are based around taking care of the ball, high IQ, and getting others involved and helping them get to their spots.

Honestly, KPJ has not shown much ability in any of these categories.

Through four games, Porter Jr. has 24 assists and 25 turnovers which leads the league in turnovers per game and total turnovers. He’s also the only player in the league that’s averaging more than five assists per game with a negative assist to turnover ratio.

He’s a young guard learning how to play with other young guys and new teammates, but the concern here is how many of the turnovers are unforced or lackadaisical decisions.

Here is an example of a turnover that was unforced. He tries to attack on the switch and falls over losing the ball.

If you have nothing off the initial ball screen your point guard needs put the ball into play and needs to trust his teammates that he will get the ball back through the flow of the offense.

Here is an example of a lazy one-handed pass from KPJ that led to the Celtics starting the game with a fast break dunk. These are mistakes that your point guard can't make especially not in the first play of the game.

My biggest fear coming with how KPJ is running the offense is how it has turned Jalen Green into a spot up shooter.

Against the Mavericks, Green was going possession after possession sitting in the corner waiting for his opportunity and when he finally got the ball, he was so out of rhythm that he felt like he needed to make a play.

Green was forcing tough looks because his chances were limited and when he got the ball he felt like he needed to get a shot up.

Kevin Porter Jr. has the potential to be a force on the offensive end of the ball if he allows his teammates to help him out.

More of this:

Less of this:

I'm not saying KPJ should never bring the ball up the court. If he gets the rebound or he get the outlet from Theis or Wood, he should take off running. He has an insane open court ability.

It's mainly half court sets where he could really benefit from playing off down screens and taking advantage of his speed and quickness to get to his spots and play high IQ basketball offensively.

This year for the Rockets is not really about winning; Obviously you are playing to win, but you are also playing to learn and try things with the unit you have.

Find which players play well in certain roles with who else sharing the court with them. Losing a bunch of games and trying nothing new gets this team nowhere.