With both young guards out injured for the time being, Houston Rockets guards Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. recently took the time to interview one another for the team’s official social media channels.
The complete interview can be viewed below. The most noteworthy exchanges came when Green, a rookie, interviewed the 21-year-old Porter, who is now in his third NBA season after being selected in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft by Cleveland. Porter’s time with the Cavaliers ended after concerning incidents on and off the court, and he owned up to those in his newly released interview with Green.
Here’s a look at the most revealing portions:
Green: What is the most important lesson you learned in your first years in the NBA, that you would pass on to a rookie like myself?
Porter: I talk to you all the time, so I’m not going to say everything. But learn from my mistakes. Me being the person I am, and the reputation I had before coming here… a lot of people seeing negative, had a lot to say that wasn’t good about me. You see me every day, so just learn from me. Learn from my mistakes.
Green: I feel like you’re misunderstood, though.
Porter: Yeah, I’ll just say learn from my mistakes, for real. I’ll talk you through each and every day. Because I’m with you.
Green is currently sidelined by a left hamstring strain, while Porter is out with a nagging left thigh contusion. When playing, Green has averaged 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 30.8 minutes per game, while Porter is at 12.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in 30.2 minutes.
Later in the new interview, Porter was asked by Green what it meant to get a fresh start in Houston. The third-year guard responded:
Blessing in disguise, man. I’m a loyal guy when it comes to teams, or which team I’m on. I went to one high school, I played for one AAU team, went to one college. So I’ve always been a one… if I’m there, I’m there. If it’s the birds and the bees, we’re going to work, and we’re going to get it right.
When I came here, I literally just told myself that everything before this point is back, it’s out of here. I never thought about anything in my past. I just came to Houston with a new mindset, (being) a new person, just wanting to be everything new. Three (Porter’s jersey number and his third NBA season) is basically like reintroducing myself, a new chapter.
“Sometimes you need that fresh start,” replied Green, who was selected at No. 2 overall in the 2021 NBA draft.
“I needed it, yeah, and I’m happy I’m here with you,” Porter concluded as the interview wound down. “We got the team.”
Houston (9-18) enters Tuesday with eight wins in its last 10 games, and Porter and Green are each likely to return in the coming weeks.
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