Statistically speaking, third-year point guard Kevin Porter Jr. didn’t have his finest game for the Houston Rockets in Sunday’s loss to Boston. He scored 15 points and fouled out in 37 minutes, shooting 41.7% from the floor while turning the ball over eight times.
Yet, in postgame comments, head coach Stephen Silas offered a strong endorsement of Porter for something that is hard to track in the box score. In this case, it was Porter’s willingness to sacrifice his preferred playing style to enable the success of backcourt mate Jalen Green.
“I do think Scoot did a really good job of helping him,” Silas said of Porter. “There were times Scoot was like, ‘Hey, you take it.’ He brought the ball up the floor some, and Scoot played off the ball some. I definitely credit Scoot for some of that aggressiveness on Jalen’s part.”
“Scoot wants to have the ball all the time, but it’s hard for Jalen at times,” Silas said postgame. “Scoot was very intentional about getting Jalen going, and that shows big-time maturity from him.”
In just his third regular-season game after being drafted at No. 2 overall in the 2021 first round, Green bounced back from two single-digit point performances to score a career-high 30 on 80% shooting from 3-point range. Those eight made 3-pointers by the 6-foot-6 guard became an all-time Rockets record among rookie players.
“I just want the best for him,” Porter said of Green. “I see so much in him, and he sees so much in me. We have the same level of respect for each other. Me being more experienced in the league but still young… it just helps me become more of a leader, because I’ve got to lead him. He’s my little brother. I want to set him up for success.”
Porter and the Rockets return to action Tuesday with a visit to Southwest division rival Dallas. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Central.
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