The Cleveland Cavaliers just extended Craig Porter Jr’s contract. The deal will see him stay in Cleveland for the next four years with a $8.02 million salary ($2.5 million guaranteed). This may seem high to the uninitiated, or the non-Cleveland NBA fans, but this contract is well worth the cap hit. Here’s a look at why the Craig Porter Jr extension matters.
Averaging 6.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists, his numbers may not stand out but there’s a reason for that.
First is his playing time. Out of his 32 games played this season, 13 of those appearances were for 10 minutes or less. Of those 13, 10 appearances were for five minutes or less. This means that over a third of his appearances have been limited to 10 minutes or less, and the vast majority of those games he didn’t play for longer than five minutes. He’s proven that he makes the most of his minutes (more on that later), but it’s rather difficult to rack up stats in five minutes of playtime. Low playing time also tends to drag down averages.
The second reason is JB Bickerstaff’s coaching style. During his tenure in Cleveland, Bickerstaff has a propensity to play the nine man lineup. Sure this is altered from time to time, but Bickerstaff doesn’t like to play more than nine guys on any given night. While Porter Jr saw more playing time when Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell were out with injury, he’s since struggled to work his way back into the tight lineup. Although with fellow guard Ty Jerome undergoing surgery and missing action for the foreseeable future, it’s very possible that Porter Jr gets more court time.
Although he hasn’t had any major scoring performances (his career high in points is 21), Porter is the kind of player that can affect a game without having to score. He plays all over the place, and is a certified stat sheet stuffer. For example, on December 20, 2023 against the Jazz, Porter finished with six points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Seven nights later, against the Dallas Mavericks, he put up nine points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block. Each of these games resulted in a Cleveland victory. If he can continue to contribute across the board, on both ends of the floor, he should have a solidified backup role at the least.
His more scoring-heavy games are nothing to scoff at either. In his highest scoring performance (November 19, 2023) he finished with 21 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. He made seven of the eight shots taken from the field and played only 25 minutes. Oh, and they were playing Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Denver Nuggets. He followed that with an outing on December 12, 2023 in which he finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block. Already in his rookie year, he’s showing he can not only be an effective scorer, but also facilitator and defender.
His career high in points is 21, rebounds is 12 and assists 11. Career highs in blocks and steals is each three.
Porter Jr is the exact kind of player a franchise wants coming off the bench. He can score, pass the ball and defend effectively and efficiently without needing to do any of those things to affect the game in a positive way. It looks like Garland will be the (well deserved) point of the franchise going forward, but locking down Porter Jr for the next four years ensures that there will be a strong player behind Garland to torch the opposing secondaries.
Porter Jr also plays with a level of confidence that’s rare in rookies. This may be because he’s older for a rookie, in fact he and Garland are the same age. Or it could just be that he’s that kind of player. In his career high performance in points, he went at former-MVP Jokic multiple times resulting in a bucket. Not many rooks play with that kind of fearlessness.
He also proved that he is more than capable of (at the very least) spot-starting when the starters are injured. An aspect of the game that, unfortunately, this season showed is always on the table.
Although they may not recognize him yet, when it comes time for the postseason (and the seasons to follow), NBA fans will become more and more familiar with Porter Jr as he’s on an upward trajectory unlike most rookies in this class. The Cavaliers may have just pulled the heist of the season locking him down for as cheap as they did.
For more NBA and other sports and esports news, you can find The Game Haus on Twitter and Facebook.
Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
“From Our Haus to Your’s”
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
