The Cleveland Cavaliers have had an awful season thus far; in addition to losing Evan Mobley and Darius Garland to injuries in recent weeks, Donovan Mitchell has been missing games on a regular basis. Mitchell did not play for the Cavaliers on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks. Nevertheless, the Cavs have persevered in being competitive, largely because to the rise of unheralded rookie Craig Porter Jr.
Porter first made an impression on the Cavs during Summer League, but now that the team’s injury problems have left a big part of the rotation up for grabs, the 23-year-old is taking advantage of his chance. Porter scored nine points and dished out thirteen in the Cavaliers’ 113-110 victory over the Mavs.
In fact, Craig Porter Jr. has surpassed more highly anticipated rookies like Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren to become the only current rookie in the NBA to average at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a start, according to StatMuse.
Naturally, Porter’s position with the Cavaliers differs from Wembanyama’s and Holmgren’s with the Spurs and Thunder, respectively. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander means that Holmgren, the clear favorite to win the 2024 Rookie of the Year title, doesn’t have to fill a large playmaking role; instead, the first selection of the 2023 NBA Draft has shown promise as a playmaker, but he’s a play-finisher first and foremost.
However, it highlights what a fantastic acquisition Craig Porter Jr. has been for the Cavaliers. In the end, he was not selected in the draft, and the success percentage for undrafted athletes is more like 0% than 1%. The most important factors to talent evaluators are athleticism and projectable skill, but Porter has demonstrated that he can contribute to the game in many ways by being a skilled basketball player.
Porter’s continued performance at this level is too much to ask of the undermanned Cavaliers. However, there’s no denying the young gun’s abilities right now on the court.
