Already author of a tumultuous college campaign at USC in 2018/19, Kevin Porter Jr. had indeed experienced a complicated entry into the NBA on the side of Cleveland. He had notably been suspended for having jostled a referee, then had been arrested for possession of firearms… after falling asleep at the wheel.
After a nervous breakdown in the locker room, for a story of a new locker, Cleveland had decided to sell him off, to the point of sending him to the Rockets against a simple future second draft choice.
More than two years later, water has flowed under the bridges and Kevin Porter Jr. has settled down nicely in Houston.
Tonight, it is thus in a completely different dynamic that he is preparing to find Cleveland for the first time to challenge the Cavs on their land, with a touch of nostalgia.
“Cleveland has been part of my journey. It was my first opportunity. This is why I will always have affection for Cleveland, which welcomed me to the NBA. It will be fun to go back and play my first game there since I left. I just want to feel the atmosphere and the energy of the fans.”, he explainedensuring that he had checked this match on his calendar since the start of the season. “I am happy to be available”.
A healthy experience?
Rather than see his time in Ohio as a failure, Kevin Porter Jr. believes that this experience was beneficial to him and allowed him to learn the tricks of the trade.
“It was the first time I discovered the NBA business. But we are all still so close. These relationships are still present and precious to me, and to the other side as well. For sure a lot of people would say it was a failed ending, but it was the best for both of us”he added.
Both parties have indeed rebounded well since then. The young Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro were then joined by Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, then Donovan Mitchell, and they continued to progress on their side to make Cleveland a formation capable of validating, very soon, its place in the Top 4 East. For his part, Kevin Porter Jr, despite ups and downs, has also found his marks with Houston.
“When I left, it wasn’t ideal, and it probably wasn’t the way we wanted it, on both sides. But I’m still in contact with a lot of guys, whether it’s coach JB Bickerstaff, Darius Garland, everyone. I had my connections. I really want to show them how I am. I want to do the show”.
| Kevin Porter, Jr. | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2019-20 | KEY | 50 | 23 | 44.2 | 33.5 | 72.3 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 10.0 |
| 2020-21 | HOO | 26 | 32 | 42.5 | 31.1 | 73.4 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 6.3 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 16.6 |
| 2021-22 | HOO | 61 | 31 | 41.5 | 37.5 | 64.2 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 6.2 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 15.6 |
| 2022-23 | HOO | 51 | 34 | 43.4 | 34.9 | 78.0 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 5.6 | 5.9 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 18.6 |
| Total | 188 | 30 | 42.7 | 35.1 | 72.0 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 0.3 | 15.0 | |
