After the career night by rookie Kevin Porter Jr. (who scored 30 points in a comeback win over the Miami Heat) and the continued growth of fellow rookie guard Darius Garland, the Cleveland Cavaliers believe that they’ve seen a glimpse of their future starting backcourt.
While the 6’4″ shooting guard excelled on both ends of the court, his shot-creating ability — one of the Seattle native’s top skills — was once again on full display and much-needed against a Heat team that got hot from behind the arc to build a sizable lead at the start of the game. Garland, who’s court vision has been his best skill, melded together the talents of a traditional point guard and the type of point guard that’s become en vogue today.
The Vanderbilt product’s passing was exquisite and though he balanced his facilitation with his scoring efforts, he continued to show off his deep range.
Closing out Monday night’s victory on the court together during overtime, with second-year guard Collin Sexton cheering the team on from the bench, it seemed that the Cavs could finally see what they had in the trio. Sexton, the team’s leading scorer at 19.7 points per game, has a score-first mentality that many believe may be best suited for the role of a sixth-man.
That notion appears to be the thought of the team’s veterans as well, with fifth-year pro Larry Nance Jr. telling cleveland.com‘s Chris Fedor that “seeing [Porter Jr.] and Darius (Garland) close that game out at the one and two is, really what this year is about.”
Of Porter Jr., specifically, 12-year veteran Kevin Love says that “I think we really haven’t even tapped into his potential yet. He’s really incredible, what he will be capable of in the future.”
What the players, and the fans, like from the duo is obvious.
Their skillsets are versatile, though Porter Jr. has been far and away the more capable defender. Their game is pretty, with both showing advanced ball-handling moves that allow them to constantly create separation from defender off-the-dribble. Unlike the team’s current starting backcourt of Garland and Sexton, with both standing at 6’1,” Garland and Porter Jr. are a pair that give the team traditional size.
No disrespect to Sexton, Porter Jr. just appears to be a more natural fit beside Garland. In fact, out of all two-man lineups featuring one of the three, Garland and Porter Jr. have had the most success.
Per Basketball Reference, the duo is getting outscored by 7.8 points per 100 possessions when they’re on the floor together but Garland and Sexton are getting outscored by 11.5 points per 100 possessions when they’ share the floor. Sexton and Porter Jr. have been outscored by 20.3 points per possession when they’re on the floor together, by far the worst mark of any pairing.
Even Garland and Porter Jr. seem to know that they’re the future backcourt for the Cavaliers.
“Me and DG,” says Porter Jr., “since Day One, we’ve been talking about our chemistry and growing together, building an empire.”
The Cavs believe they’ve hit big on two of their first-round picks from the 2019 NBA Draft. Whenever small forward Dylan Windler is prepared to step on the court, that number may jump to three. In fact, with Windler’s basketball IQ, rebounding ability and penchant for knocking down three-pointers, he may supplant fan favorite Cedi Osman as a starter next season.
It’s a fortunate situation for the Cavs, who will likely have a top-five pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and still need to make a decision about what position they’ll need to use it on.
Rather than a prospect like LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards, both guards, they may feel more inclined to use on a big man prospect like Duke’s Vernon Carey Jr. or Minnesota’s Daniel Oturu. Washington forward Jaden McDaniels, a native of Seattle just like Porter Jr., is another intriguing option for Cleveland.
Only time will tell but the future certainly looks bright for the Cavaliers.