Cleveland Cavaliers: Expectations are sky-high for Kevin Porter Jr.

Kevin Porter Jr. is shaping up to be the most promising prospect on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ roster. Can he live up to the hype?

I remember being shocked when Kevin Porter Jr. fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers late in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. Porter was a prospect who I imagined being a potential steal for Cleveland at the No. 5 spot – instead, the Cavs managed to acquire him by trading four second-round draft picks to the Detroit Pistons in return for the 30th pick.

This move on draft night is paying dividends for the Cavaliers as Porter has become an instant fan favorite. He has said all the right things and his high-enthusiasm for the city is something that has placed him on a pedestal in Cleveland.

But, Porter is much more than a great personality to have on the roster. The rookie showed some serious talent over the course of the season and is bursting with potential. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com recently mentioned how high Porter’s expectations are becoming:

"“Coaches, teammates and members of the front office rave about Porter. His talent, upside and growth as a rookie played the biggest role in Jordan Clarkson’s December departure, as the Cavs were hoping to create a path to more playing time.”"

Fedor went on to state that before the season ended, the coaching staff was preparing to give Porter a significant role as a playmaker – going as far as to consider playing him at point guard. Of course, this experiment never had a chance as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season ended abruptly due to COVID-19.

Nonetheless, the Cavs will be expecting some major steps forward from Porter next year. The 20-year-old wasn’t given much responsibility as a rookie but this will all change when he returns to the court as a sophomore.

Porter has the highest upside of anyone on the roster. His high-end athleticism has already made him a strong finisher above the rim. He shot above 70 percent from within 3 feet of the rim and converted 84.6 percent of his touches when receiving the ball in the paint.

He was also a quality scorer on the perimeter. Porter has an explosive first step and can break defenders with his hesitation and step-back moves. He shot a fairly reasonable 33.5 percent from the 3-point line but had multiple games in which he looked lethal as a pull-up shooter.

His inconsistency was on full display towards the end of the season. Take a look at this brief stretch from Porter in February:

• 17 points (8-14 FG)
• 18 points (7-11 FG)
• 3 points (1-3 FG)
• 2 points (0-5 FG)
• 30 points (9-18 FG)
• 5 points (2-6 FG)

Porter won’t be able to earn much more of a role with the team if he is unable to play with any consistency. He can’t show up one night then disappear the next. This is something that will hopefully be solved as he gains experience in the NBA.

The Cavaliers see potential in Porter to act as a distributor. He was one of their more willing passers last season and has a great feel for the game. Porter averaged 3.2 assists off the bench in his final 12 games of the year.

Porter will need to improve his ability to find open shooters. It will certainly help if Cleveland is able to add more catch-and-shoot weapons to their team in the offseason. Regardless, Porter needs to weaponize his talents as a slasher to free up more shots for his teammates. His shifty ball-handling helps him get to any spot on the floor – using this to create plays for others is the next step in his development.

Defensively, the entire roster would benefit from Porter being more assertive. He has the perfect build to be a dominant perimeter defender. But, like many young guards, Porter was unable to have an impact on this end of the floor as a rookie. Heading into next season, Porter needs to use his size and speed to become a better deterrent.

The future is bright for Porter. He is only a few steps away from being an elite shot creator and could easily blossom into a two-way threat if he works hard enough. All eyes will be on Porter’s development as the Cleveland Cavaliers move into year three of the rebuild.