The Houston Rockets have a lot of young, talented players they are hoping can make up their core for the foreseeable future. They went all-in on the youth movement this offseason, as they had four first-round picks in the 2021 NBA Draft. All four players they selected, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba, and Josh Christopher, are teenagers.
The team has high hopes for all of them. There will be some bumps along the way, but the Rockets have one of the higher ceilings currently in the NBA with the core they are putting together.
In addition to the draft picks they made this year, the Rockets have some players that performed well last season as rookies in Jae’Sean Tate and Kenyon Martin Jr. Both looked like rotation players going forward, but the player that gets people excited is Kevin Porter Jr.
Porter began his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers after being the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He had a solid rookie season, averaging 10 points with 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals in 23.2 minutes per game.
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But, his tenure in Cleveland couldn’t have ended much worse. The team looked to trade him after his rookie season for disciplinary reasons, eventually finding a suitor in the Houston Rockets. Despite the transgressions, he had at USC and with the Cavaliers, Porter was still a 20-year old with immense potential. The Rockets took a shot on him and it looks to be paying off.
Porter was dominant with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 24.1 points, 7.2 assists, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. When he was brought up to the NBA team, he continued producing. Porter averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 26 games with the Rockets, 23 of which he started.
Heading into the 2021-22 season, Porter has a chance to take yet another step in his development. The Rockets are planning on not playing John Wall this season as they look for a new home for him. If that holds, the starting point guard position could be Porter’s for the taking.
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He would form quite an explosive backcourt along with Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. With the infusion of talent around him, there is hope that Porter’s efficiency will improve when it comes to shooting the ball. He won’t have to do as much with a stronger supporting cast around him.
As many young players do, Porter has some stuff to clean up. Cutting back on the turnovers would be nice to see, and he could use some improvements defensively as well. But, the Rockets are very excited to see what he can do with some of the new young players they have brought aboard.
While the Rockets may not be contenders this season, Kevin Porter Jr. has the tools and pieces around him to take that next step. It would not be surprising to see him in the running for Most Improved Player and push his scoring average to almost 20 points per game.
