Kevin Porter Jr. has ‘big brother’ in former Rockets star James Harden

Porter on Harden: “That’s my big brother. I definitely watch him a lot. We talk a lot. He gives me some keys, so I can have an advantage.”

All-Star guard and perennial MVP frontrunner James Harden isn’t with the Houston Rockets anymore after a leveraged trade to Brooklyn, but his shadow still hangs over the franchise in a number of ways.

One of them involves 20-year-old Kevin Porter Jr., who happens to be a left-handed guard, like Harden. The Rockets believe in the former first-round pick from the 2019 NBA draft as a potential building block for their rebuild, and Porter credits Harden — who he considers a personal friend, and something of a mentor — with helping his development.

After Porter made his Houston debut on Thursday night with 13 points and a career-high 10 assists in 29 minutes, he went out of his way to bring up Harden during his postgame comments.

That’s my big brother. I definitely watch him a lot. We talk a lot. He gives me some keys, so I can have an advantage. I feel like we do play similar. I think it’s because we’re both lefties, and we both like that stepback. I’m way more athletic, though, for sure. I’ll dunk on James. [smiling]
Porter does have the advantage of being 11 years younger, of course.

With veteran guards John Wall (left knee contusion) and Eric Gordon (right groin strain) each sidelined by injury, Porter should get an opportunity for even more playing time in Friday night’s game at Utah. Tipoff between the Rockets (11-24) and Jazz (27-9) is set for 9:00 p.m. Central, with Houston hoping to somehow snap a 14-game losing skid.

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