NBA Draft: Zion Williamson still first in 2019 Redraft

Kevin Porter Jr. was supposed to be a top-10 pick. He is a dynamic scorer, has good size and all the athletic gifts you could ask for in a guard prospect. Why did he fall to 30th on the night of the 2019 NBA Draft? The reasons are stacked up in the “intangibles” column, as Porter has clashed with coaches, teammates and team personnel in college and in the NBA.

That is why the Cleveland Cavaliers dumped him on the Houston Rockets for a couple of future 2nd rounders, as the organization was not willing to indulge those character issues. Porter was good as a rookie and even better as a second-year player, averaging 16.6 points for the Rockets even as injuries limited him to 26 games.

In addition to the scoring, which Porter did with middling efficiency, he showed he can run an NBA offense, averaging 6.2 assists per game — and even more impressive feat given the surrounding cast in Houston.

The offensive skillset and reasonable defensive ability is there. The question is whether he is able to take the necessary steps to stabilize his off-court and character issues in order to be a long-term professional. If so, he is well worth taking in the back half of the first round. The Philadelphia 76ers take a plunge here, hoping for the better half of possibilities with Porter.