LeBron James sees dynamic potential in Rockets guards Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green

Lakers star LeBron James on young Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr.: “He has some of the best handles and shiftiness in our league, but he is also finding his teammates, as well.”

As Tuesday’s game concluded between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, two players from opposing teams were seen embracing one another. It was more than just the usual “good game” celebratory ritual, which takes place after seemingly every game.

Four-time NBA champion LeBron James, who is considered by some as the best to ever play the game, took the time to offer some advice and encouragement to Rockets point guard Kevin Porter Jr. after Los Angeles defeated Houston at Toyota Center, 132-123.

The future first-ballot NBA Hall of Famer spoke about the interaction between himself and Porter in his postgame press conference:

What I told Kevin Porter after the game… I think is going to make him an even better player. His ability to play with the ball. He has some of the best handles and shiftiness in our league, but he is also finding his teammates as well. He is playing the three-level game where he can stand on the perimeter and make shots, get to the rim and make shots, and when the defense cracks down, he can make plays as well. What can separate him, as well, is that he is playing point guard early in his career.

Porter isn’t the only player that LeBron James has taken notice of from the Houston Rockets. James also had some positive things to say when it came to rookie shooting guard Jalen Green and recognizes that the two playing together will benefit the Rockets in the future.

“They are two dynamic young guys who are very explosive,” James said postgame. “With Jalen Green, his ability to come off pin-downs and rise and shoot, he is going to get better and better as his game evolves. The athleticism that both of them presents is really good.”

After the press conference, James reiterated how much he liked Porter and Green, who combined for 46 points against the Lakers while making 9-of-18 shots (50.0%) from 3-point range. He said their confidence on the court and unwillingness to back down would take them far.

One could imagine that James was referring to the one-on-one matchup he had late in the game versus Green, in which the rookie cleared the left side of the court to take on the former five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection. Green stared him in the face as he made his move past James to get to the rim. Although Green missed the shot, he let James know that he was not afraid to take on one of the NBA’s best players.

Although the Rockets lost the game, the experience of playing against such a great player like LeBron James was acknowledged by Porter.

“Bron (LeBron) is Bron,” Porter Jr. said. “I love playing against Bron, because he is the best in the world and the face of the league.”

Houston will have a small two-day break before they are back in action to close out the year against the Miami Heat on New Year’s Eve and bring in the New Year playing the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 1, 2022.

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