Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is one of the most accomplished point guards in NBA history. He made the All-Star team five times, he won an NBA championship on the Pistons in 2004, and he's got a Finals MVP to his name. He's a pretty intelligent basketball figure and NBA teams have been trying to hire him for various jobs for a decade now. Players and coaches around the league have a great deal of respect for Billups and his words carry weight. This includes people within the Houston Rockets organization.

So you can imagine how much it meant for point guard Kevin Porter Jr. when Billups took the time to marvel at his potential.

“That dude is gifted,” said Billups of the Rockets talent. “He can dribble, he can pass, he can shoot, he can make shots, and he's athletic.”

Of course, Billups isn't saying anything that hasn't been said before on Porter Jr. He is indeed incredibly gifted with a knack for difficult shot making, passing, and shifty dribble moves. The trouble for Porter Jr. has been (and still is) putting all that talent together in a productive manner and limiting mistakes. A turnover percentage of 30.9 is just not acceptable for someone who is expected to be the point guard. In fact, Porter Jr. has also yet to have his assist-to-turnover ratio and true shooting percentage (48.2%) under control this season.

“It's just going to take him some time to learn how to read coverages, when to try to score, and when to try to get other scorers shots,” continued Billups. “That takes time. If he's willing to put in the work as far as studying games and film, the dude will be special.”

For what it's worth, Friday night was possibly Porter Jr.'s most complete offensive game of the season. He tallied 18 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds on 52.7% true shooting. The Rockets really struggled as a team offensively when Porter Jr. sat.

“That's OG man,” said Porter Jr. in response to Billups' comments. “I didn't know until now. So that comment made me smile. All of this is just a confidence booster, because I'm nothing without by mental [health]. And you know I mess with Chauncey. Chauncey knows I mess with him. So that's love for sure.”

If you look at players with his efficiency and turnover profile, the results aren't particularly encouraging. However, he is 21-years-old and played less than 100 NBA basketball games, so it's understandable if people are hesitant to jump ship on his tantalizing talent. Damian Lillard also took the time to praise Porter Jr. after the game and talked about their off-court relationship.

Until the Rockets give Porter Jr. another contract, it's always worth pointing out that they spent exactly zero assets to acquire him from Cleveland. It's a no-lose situation for Houston at this point. Porter Jr. is extension eligible this summer, so the Rockets need to start considering whether they want to extend an offer his way or allow him to enter restricted free agency the following season. The way things are looking, the safe bet right now is that Houston allows Porter Jr. to become a restricted free agent in 2023.

It will be interesting to look back on these comments from both Billups and Lillard to see how they've aged in a few years.