After a tumultuous offseason so far that saw his starting point guard leaving town out of the blue, Kevin Porter Jr. just got the highest compliment (and at the same time, the heaviest of expectations) from his head coach.
During a sideline interview at NBA Summer League, Doc Rivers didn’t mince words when asked who might take the biggest leap this year for the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Of all the guys on our team, I think he's going to have the biggest jump,” Rivers said, singling out Porter.
The expectations for Kevin Porter Jr. are both a blessing and a curse
There's no denying the talent the Bucks have on their hands with Porter Jr., who put up 11.7 points, 3.9 boards, and 3.7 assists in 30 games after the Bucks acquired him post-trade deadline. He did this while shooting almost 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the 3-point line.
If the Bucks are indeed done making moves this offseason, then the reality is he's going to be their starting point guard for the time being.
And considering the high praise Rivers was singing of Porter’s evolution late last season, that may not be the worst thing in the world for this latest iteration of the Bucks post-Damian Lillard.
“He listens. And in the second half, late in the year, he started becoming a point guard, going downhill, making plays instead of dancing,” Rivers continued. “Understanding sometimes you're just pulling the ball to see if something else happens instead of trying to score. And once he started doing that, his whole game opened up.”
That’s not light praise, though -- it’s also a clear challenge. Because the Bucks' lead tactician was also candid about the things Porter had to work on when he first arrived in town.
"The biggest surprise with me, and Ty Lue told me this when we got him, he could defend. I always tell him that that's we still got to work on. Like we want him to be competitive," Rivers also said.
The thing is, though, even last year, there were encouraging signs of improvement game after game in the brief stretch that Porter was with the team.
In fact, according to Cleaning the Glass, opposing scorers scored -3.4 fewer points per 100 possessions whenever Porter was on the floor versus on the bench. That number was good enough to land KPJ in the 78th percentile among guards in defensive rating. If this improvement keeps up, then we may be looking at a legitimate two-way presence at the point of attack.
With their empty cupboard of assets, the Bucks have no choice but to bet on internal growth. With Damian Lillard gone, the starting point guard job is wide open. Porter now finds himself in an unlikely position as the most talented guard on the roster. He's also maybe the most pivotal, as he's shown he can be the X-factor in closing out tight matches from time to time.
Porter’s career has been defined by volatility, but Rivers’ comments make it obvious: the Milwaukee Bucks coaching staff sees real growth, and they're rewarding it with a real role.
Whether that manifests into a breakout season or collapses under pressure is up to Porter. But one thing is clear: the Milwaukee Bucks are watching. The fanbase is, too. And so is Doc.