Kevin Porter Jr. was one of the few highlights in a miserable season for the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Porter has been spectacular in his first two games since being recalled from the G-League, averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists.
Houston acquired Porter in January for a conditional pick in the second round after he carried out his welcome in Cleveland due to out-of-court issues. He was a small forward with the Cavaliers, but the Rockets moved him to the points guard after he had to experiment with the position with Rio Grande Valley.
“He has a calmness for him,” said coach Stephen Silas. ‘He’s only composed for a young child, does not get too high, it is a fixed influence on the rest of the group. If you have the man who has the ball mostly in his hands, (Friday) was for him to play like that and not be rattled by a run by the opposing team or a turnover or a bad game, but only has a following mentality, it’s pretty cool for a young man to be like that. He played two games for us. We are not going to overdo anything. But we think we got something there. ”
There’s more from Houston:
- David Nwaba He was expected to have a long recovery time after straining his wrist in a Feb. 28 game, but he asked to play Friday because so many of his teammates are unavailable, Feigen said in a separate story. Surgery is recommended, which will sideline Nwaba for six weeks. Dave came up to me and was like, ‘I’m injured, but it’s hard for me to sit there and watch when we’re so low on bodies and we’s so dilapidated and we’re bad. And even if I’m not 100 percent, I might give a little, ” Said Silas. ‘Hearing it was certainly gratifying. It tells you a lot about him as a competitor and him as a person and him as someone you want in your group. ”
- The absence of PJ Tucker, who is not playing while the Rockets are trying to work out a trade, has put more strain on a team that is already dealing with numerous injuries, Feigen says in another piece. Houston signs the wait Mason Jones a ten-day contract so that it would have enough active players for Friday’s game.
- The Rockets will use their 24th starting lineup in 37 games on Sunday, Feigen adds. The injuries and lack of continuity played a big part in the team’s fifteen game loss. “The sooner we can get to the point where we know what our starting lineup is going to be, what our rotation off the bench is going to be, the better it will be for the group,” Said Silas. “It was clear it hadn’t been that way all season.”