Most professional athletes circle games on the upcoming schedule they look forward to playing throughout the season. Some may be excited for the matchups of going against players they consider the best at a particular position. At the same time, others may be excited to see old teammates from their previous team.
For 21-year-old Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr., tonight offers a mixture of both.
On Wednesday, the rising Rockets star will have an opportunity to do both. He will face his former team, Cleveland Cavaliers, for the first time since he was traded to Houston in January 2021. Porter missed both matchups last season due to being with the Rockets G League affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and was out when Houston played the Cavaliers in December with a bruised thigh.
“I had that checked on my schedule,” Porter said. “I don’t really look at the schedule, but I was excited to play them on December 15. I was hurt, so I couldn’t play back in Cleveland. It’s fun playing them here. I think it’s a little different.”
“The atmosphere is different, but it’s going to be fun seeing my boys. D.G. (Darius Garland) is having a phenomenal season. He’s going to be an All-Star. It’ll be weird if he’s not. Dylan Windler. K-Love. It’s going to be fun seeing them.”
“I had that checked on my schedule,” said Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. about playing against his former team Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time since he was traded in January 2021.#Rockets #LightTheFuse pic.twitter.com/AF9kESzdf7
— BIG SARGE MEDIA LLC (@BigSargeSportz) February 2, 2022
Cleveland drafted Porter with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. He only appeared in 50 games for the Cavaliers, due largely to some minor discipline issues, and was traded to the Rockets for a future protected second-round draft pick.
Houston named Porter the starting point guard before the season started after reaching an agreement with veteran John Wall to sit out games as the team finds a suitable team to trade him to.
Although he had a rough start transitioning into the primary ballhandler at the start of the 2021-22 season, Porter has recently started to play towards the vision the team had for him in that role. He is averaging 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game, but his turnover average has dropped from 5.3 early in the season to 3.0 currently, which has been very impressive.
Houston plays its final game of a four-game homestand against Cleveland before heading to San Antonio on Friday to take on the Spurs.
