If you followed the Rockets during the James Harden era, it's crazy to think the same rookie Damian Lillard that upset Houston on a series clinching three-pointer in 2014 is now 31-years-old. Players on the current Rockets are so young that they grew up watching Lillard and still on some level look up to him. One of those such players is 21-year-old point guard Kevin Porter Jr., who actually got the chance to scrimmage for Team USA in front of Damian Lillard, who was dropping by the facility in Portland to pick up some shoes.

“I think I was still in high school,” said Porter Jr. of the scrimmage. “That was the first time Dame acknowledged me as a player. He liked my game. I always liked Dame's game and watched film on him.”

The room was filled with NBA scouts to evaluate the young prospects on the scrimmage squads. When asked about the scrimmage, Lillard said he believed Porter Jr. was the best player in the gym.

“He's better than all these dudes that y'all are saying are [ranked ahead of him],” said Lillard. “So I always liked his game from that point on.”

This was far from the last encounter Porter Jr. had with Lillard. In fact, the two ran into each other this summer in Cabo San Lucas when Porter Jr. was with Kenyon Martin and Ben McLemore.

“We sat there and talked for a while by the pool,” said Lillard of the encounter. “He's misunderstood. He's gotten into a little bit of trouble. Had some issues in this league. In professional sports, it's easy for people to just judge young athletes and he's been a victim of that.”

It was hard for Kevin Porter Jr. to forget the run-in with Lillard as he took the opportunity to do what young players do best.

“I was asking a bunch of questions,” said Porter Jr. “He didn't know it was me at first. I came up to him like ‘Dame, what's up?'. He was like ‘Oh little bro'. We just chatted up. He just told me what I could become, things I should look forward to, and just tried to make me a better player before the season. Just giving me tips. At the time I was a sophomore, almost still a rookie.”

This is why Friday night was a game Porter Jr. was looking forward to. He rightly viewed playing against one of the best point guards in the league as a measuring stick game. And for the most part, he performed. Porter Jr. tallied 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and only turned the ball over once, making it his most well-rounded offensive game of the season.

“It's always a blessing to be on the same court as dudes like that,” said Porter Jr. “Especially people you saw when you were in high school, you've always admired, and were inspired by them. So to have a chance to play against him again, I just got to learn from it. He's a very high IQ player. He's Damian Lillard at the end of the day.”

Lillard was pretty effusive in his praise for Porter Jr. after the Rockets game.

“The talent level is through the roof,” said Lillard. “He can do everything. He's personally one of my favorite young players in the league. I'm just happy to see him getting an opportunity to spread his wings.”

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“It's definitely a confidence booster,” said Kevin Porter Jr. after hearing the comments. “I feel like he respects me as a person. Not just as a player, but as a person. He's a genuine person. You want to be close and encircled with people like that.