Yet, as I wrote in the previous post on the selection of Dylan Windler, I felt that one player might have been worth the risk involved to take at 26 and I wished that the Cavaliers would have stepped up and gambled on potential greatness.
Apparently, someone in the Cleveland front office was thinking the same way as the Cavaliers shipped three future second rounders, possibly a fourth future second rounder and a cold hard five million dollars to the Detroit Pistons for the 30th slot in the first round.
The Cavaliers second rounders on the move are all picks that they have obtained through various trades (2020 Utah, 2021 and 2023 Portland along with 2024 Miami, if it is within 55 and 60 in the overall draft), so they still have their own second rounders for the future.
The drafting of USC guard Kevin Porter Jr is the type of "Gamble on Greatness" choice that teams in Cleveland (including the Browns and Indians) need to do more of as Cleveland will almost never be a free agency magnet for superstar athletes.
Porter has an NBA ready body, can play above the rim, runs the floor well in the transition game and is an effective scorer with both the outside shot and driving to the basket.
Add into the equation, Porter's ability to create shots ( among the top factors in young players finding success in the league) with never being mentioned to being a "me first" player and you have a player with all of the skills needed to be a success in the league.
Porter's game has been compared to that of James Harden, Porter tries to emulate Harden and as a fellow lefty, has many of the moves that make Harden arguably the best scorer in the game.
So if Porter has all of these abilities, he reads like a player in the top seven, not one available at the final pick in round one, so what's the problem?
On the court, Porter is another player that needs the ball to play best, played just 21 games at USC and averaged a little under ten points a night, while off the court Porter was suspended at both USC and high school along with a reputation for not being an easy player to coach.
The good news is that Porter's issues are more along the line of immaturity than serious problems and with his background ( This links to an excellent article by The Ringer and Porter's background), I think that can be overcome.
If you watched the ESPN piece on Porter during the draft and his interview with Maria Taylor after being selected as I did, I had the feeling that this isn't a bad guy at all, but rather a young man that with the right mentor and guidance could be helped past his problems.
As a player, Kevin Porter Jr brings all that you could hope for a first-round draft pick and even though Porter carries the potential of being a bust, I'm fully on board with taking the leap of faith.
At this place in the draft and for the cost that the Cavaliers paid to move up, Kevin Porter Jr could be a steal.
Give the Cavaliers credit for trying to make something happen rather than being content.
Tonight is the NHL Draft where the New Jersey Devils lead things off, plus DAZN boxing, so there will be two or even three posts today depending on time.
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