Former Cleveland Cavaliers first-round pick Kevin Porter Jr. will be among the players to watch as the G League tips off its season in the Orlando bubble, as noted by Jeremy Woo of SI.com.
Porter was traded from the Cavs to the Houston Rockets last month after a locker-room flareup with general manager Koby Altman. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has not yet played an NBA game this season, averaging 10.0 points as a rookie.
The Rockets assigned Porter to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers shortly after the deal.
“We’ve been doing individual stuff with him as well as (Wednesday), he joined the team stuff,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “We’re just integrating him slowly. We’re coming up with a plan that makes sense for him and for the team. He hasn’t played in a while. He’s kind of just learning.”
The Rockets are banking on lead assistant coach John Lucas to keep Porter on the straight and narrow. Lucas has a history of helping players work through issues.
“He’s a young kid, but he’s very talented,” Silas said. “When he first got here, we had to make sure that we’re really, really smart about the structure we have put in place for him on and off the floor.”
Others to keep an eye on in G League play, which began Wednesday, include G League Ignite guard Jalen Green and small forward Jonathan Kuminga, Santa Cruz Warriors point guard Jeremy Lin, Memphis Hustle power forward Jontay Porter, Raptors 905 point guard Malachi Flynn and Canton Charge shooting guard Charles Matthews.
