Craig Porter Jr: A Closer Look

Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a chance by signing an undrafted rookie named Craig Porter Jr. for the Summer League. Now, Porter Jr. finds himself with a four-year extension to remain in the NBA with the Cavaliers. 

But is it reasonable to expect Porter Jr. to help Cleveland play winning basketball? How did he get to this point? Here’s a closer look at Porter Jr. and his ideal situation in Cleveland. 

Porter Jr. as a starter

In his rookie season, Porter Jr. really only saw starts when the team needed it. When one or both of Cleveland’s starting guards were injured, for example. 

However, this didn’t set him up to break out as a primary guard type of player. Never scoring more than 16 points, Porter Jr. didn’t exactly light up the court when given the chance. 

His low-scoring efforts bely his actual impact, though, as scoring isn’t his cup of tea. This isn’t to say he isn’t capable, though, as his craftiness allowed him to shoot 50 percent or higher in half his starts. 

And, in the games in which he only scored single digits, he chipped in at least seven assists and/or rebounds. If he’s having an off night at the rim, he has no issue finding other ways to help. 

In fact, when looking at his combined points and assists, he had a hand in an average of 22.9 points scored per game. This includes his performance on April 14, 2024 in which he accounted for only six total points. 

Porter Jr. off the bench 

When coming off the bench, Porter Jr. is averaging five points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists. While it may seem, then, that he’s better suited as a starter, there is a caveat to these numbers. 

In a lot of his appearances, his court time was severely limited. Of the 51 games he played in, 25 of them were for 10 minutes or less. When he was able to play for an extended period, Porter Jr’s true value began to shine through. 

Although his statistics don’t improve dramatically, he does play better in every measurable metric. If he’s not able to score, he has time to figure out how to find his teammates and get to the ball. When he’s struggling to find open teammates, he’s seemingly able to make up for it by scoring at a higher clip. 

His play is so well-rounded that, with an adjusted per 48 minutes lens, he’s averaging 21.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game with 1.1 blocks and 1.6 steals. 

What is Porter Jr.’s ideal situation? 

Porter Jr. has left the Cavaliers with a decent sample size of performances in a number of different situations. Sure, this is partially due to Cleveland’s oscillation of the young guard’s role throughout the season, but nonetheless has given the team a lot of information. 

He plays better when starting than when coming off the bench. But, this could ultimately be related to minutes, as he also played markedly better when on the court for more than 10 minutes. He doesn’t excel at any one skill, but has an extremely dynamic overall skill set. And, possibly most importantly, he showed he’s willing to do whatever the team needs in order to win. Even if that doesn’t necessarily put himself in the best position individually. 

This suggests that Cleveland has a quintessential utility guard on the roster, albeit one with higher upside than normal. 

With Cleveland having two starting guards with injury issues, this could be extremely beneficial for the Cavaliers. They might have to play him more to maximize his potential, but expect Porter Jr. to play better basketball, and in a bigger role this season for Cleveland. 

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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com

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