Kevin Porter Jr. is a crafty left-handed guard for the Rockets who can score and create offense in multiple ways. Sound familiar? It does to Gerald Green, who played in Houston alongside James Harden during the franchise’s best seasons of this century in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
Porter’s production and efficiency isn’t anywhere near Harden in those years, of course, but the important context is that he’s only 21 years old. Harden himself was far from his current form at that age.
Green, who spent approximately a half-season coaching the Rockets in 2021-22 before unretiring to play in the G League (with hopes of an NBA return), addressed Houston’s emerging young core during a recent appearance on the “Inside Buzz With Mikey Domagala” podcast.
While Green offered glowing praise for many current players, it seemed that his highest praise was for Porter — and yes, he did make the Harden comparison for the first-round pick from the 2019 NBA draft.
Here’s some of Green’s comments from the episode:
I think they’re a really good young core. They still have to learn how to win games. That’s hard. But, they’ve got a great core to develop. I feel like Jalen Green can really be a star, if he stays locked in and focused. I think Christian Wood is pretty much there. I think he’s got to just keep on staying the course, and keep being consistent.
Scoot (Porter), the sky is the limit for him. If he keeps his head clear and keeps trying to lead the team like he’s been doing lately, I think the sky is the limit for him. You could be looking at the next James Harden. That’s just my opinion.
You’ve got so many young guys over there that can really grow, and they all love each other. When I was there, you could tell. They’re tight, they’re close. That’s what you want as a team. I really think Rafael (Stone) did a good job putting those guys together. He did a great job.
Great interview make sure to check out the entire video. This is Green talking about the young core and CWoodhttps://t.co/CGgwOdxdg8 pic.twitter.com/CWJGoi5faa
— Lachard Binkley (@HTOWN4LIFE40) January 31, 2022
The record doesn’t reflect it just yet, since the Rockets have one of the NBA’s youngest teams among active rotation players. Entering February, Houston owns the Western Conference’s worst record. But Green is hopeful of a turnaround in the coming months and years.
“All they need is just a couple more years to let players develop, and I think the Rockets are going to be a team not to mess with,” he said.
The complete podcast episode can be listened to below.
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