After a hot start to the season, Kevin Porter Jr.'s perimeter shooting has fallen off a cliff. Over his last eight games, he's down to just 20.8 percent from the floor. Has that stopped him from being the go-to offensive engine for this team? Nope. He's averaging a team-leading 22.1 points per game in this run, and the most obvious reason why has been his elite driving skills.
Porter's drives have demolished defenses
Lately, Porter has been driving like there's no tomorrow. Over his last eight appearances, he's put his head down and bolted to the hoop 166 times. That ranks first in the NBA by a country mile, with Nets guard Nolan Traore coming in second at 130. When he gets the ball, the only thing on Porter's mind is to attack the hoop.
The results speak for themselves.
In this span, he's produced 115 points on these drives. The next closest player league-wide is Boston wing Jaylen Brown with 95. Porter has been extremely efficient in doing so, shooting 46-of-71 (64.8 percent) on such shots. Among 15 players to shoot at least 50 times on drives in this span, Porter's success rate is the most efficient. Elite.
It's not just his scoring, either. While elite in that regard, he's also done a tremendous job at finding his teammates. In this span, he's tallied 16 assists on drives, the third most in the entire NBA. The ability to score at will like he does but also spray the ball out to an open teammate for a good look is the type of pick your poison mindset that has elevated Milwaukee's offense.
With how good he's been at driving the hoop, Porter's poor perimeter shooting has flown under the radar completely, and rightfully so. He's not letting it stop him from putting points on the board with incredible confidence. He hasn't been alone, as players like Ryan Rollins have helped, but it's that type of mindset that has helped the Milwaukee Bucks get back to their winning ways lately.
The big question is how Porter's drives will be impacted when Giannis Antetokounmpo returns to the fold. Obviously, when the Greek Freak is on the floor, he loves to dominate the paint, and constantly having Porter drive could clog things, especially if his outside shooting remains poor. The Bucks can cross that bridge when they get there.
For now, Porter deserves his flowers for dominating on drives lately.
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