The Cleveland Cavaliers might be eliminated from resuming the rest of the 2019-20 NBA season, but they’re now looking ahead into how to build their team next season. According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the Cavs are looking at rookie Kevin Porter Jr. as a player who can drastically alter the rebuild.
Transcript via HoopsHype:
“I think the other big takeaways that I have from this year, the belief in Kevin Porter Jr. It’s now gone into the coaching staff, it’s now gone into the players. This organization believes that he’s the one,” said Vardon on The Wine & Gold Talk podcast. “If there is a focal point, if there is somebody that’s going to change the trajectory of this rebuild and change the timeline potentially of this rebuild, it’s going to be him.”
Porter impressed the Cavs’ coaching stuff upon getting some late run in February and March.
The agile wing out of USC showed a knack for scoring, putting up 21 points in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in late January as well as a bombastic 30-point performance against the Miami Heat on Feb. 24.
Porter’s game still needs some polish, whether that is building up his frame or becoming a better all-around shooter. However, the inconsistencies are quite common for a rookie.
The 6-foot-4 Cavs shooting guard had a string of seven straight games scoring in double digits from late January to mid-February. He continued that scoring array when given minutes to work with — a sign the coaching staff has keenly picked up on as they look to accelerate this rebuild.
In 50 games this season, the youngster averaged 10.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 23.2 minutes per game. He shot 44.2% from the field and 33.5% from 3-point range. The 20-year-old will look to take a big step forward next season.