With no Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, or Evan Mobley as of late, the Cleveland Cavaliers have needed everyone else to step up. One player who's stood out more than others for Cleveland is rookie Craig Porter Jr., who is starting in place of Garland at point guard in the Cavs rotation. Porter Jr., who went undrafted after a stellar five-year career at Wichita State, originally signed with Cleveland on a two-way deal after a strong outing in the Las Vegas Summer League with the Sin City Cavs.
After their latest battle against the Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland now owns a 4-1 record without Garland and Mobley and a 2-1 record without Mitchell on the floor. Sure, it hasn't been perfect most nights, but again, the Cavaliers are having players like Porter Jr. step up and, more importantly, are finding ways to remain competitive.
If this team were totally healthy, Craig Porter Jr. would be spending his rookie season with the Cleveland Charge, the NBA G League affiliate of the Cavs. But, due to injuries and situations outside of Cleveland's control, the Cavs have had to lean on their undrafted rookie, and surprisingly, he's stepped up and looked like a seasoned veteran running Cleveland's offense.
Since Darius Garland was sidelined with a broken jaw, Porter Jr. has averaged 8.3 points, 6.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.3 turnovers in 24.4 minutes per game.
As a starter, while Donovan Mitchell has been out with a non-COVID-related illness, Porter Jr. has averaged 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 1.8 turnovers in 31.6 minutes per game. Most impressively, Porter Jr. has guided the Cavs to a 5-1 record after the win over the Mavs in this Garland-less world, never looking phased by how much Cleveland has leaned on him despite being an undrafted rookie.
Sure, not everything has been totally flawless with Porter Jr.'s sudden increase in minutes.
Opposing defenses frequently sag off of him on the perimeter and he hasn't been able to burn them for it, only connecting on 33.3% of nine total three-point attempts over the last six games. Porter Jr. has also left free scoring opportunities at the free throw line as well, only hitting on 55.5% of his nine free throw attempts in the same six-game stretch.
Regardless, Porter Jr. has clearly stepped up in other ways, masking the need for consistent point guard play while Garland has been out. So, when the team starts to get healthier and see Garland, Mitchell, Mobley and others return to the fold, one thing is clear: Porter Jr. has to be a staple in Cleveland's rotation going forward.
Craig Porter Jr. is exactly what the Cavs need
Not only has Craig Porter Jr. stepped up to the task, handling what has been asked of him. He's also solved a problem the Cavs were dealing with. Heading into the season, the organization announced that they would excuse Ricky Rubio's absence from basketball as Rubio prioritizes his mental health and his basketball future. The lack of Rubio has given Cleveland a clear need to find a permanent answer behind Garland and now that Porter Jr. has answered the call, things are even steadier for the Cavs going forward.
The trickier part is the fact that Porter Jr. is playing on a two-way contract, which will eventually limit his opportunities with the Cavs. Two-way contract players have a limit of only being active 50 times for their NBA club before the team has to decide whether or not to convert their two-way deal into a permanent one.
So far, Porter Jr. has been active 29 times for Cleveland, giving the Cavs 21 more bites at the apple before they make the call on their rookie point guard.
Thankfully, that's more than enough time until the annual NBA trade deadline, which is likely when Cleveland will convert Porter Jr. to the main roster. Either way, until that time comes, one thing is clear: Craig Porter Jr. has done more than enough to earn a Cavs rotation spot as the season rolls along. He's a winning player, creating winning opportunities for the team. That's something that just cannot be denied.
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