Cavs Mailbag: Why Are Craig Porter Jr.'s Minutes Fluctuating Again?

Spencer Davies answers Cleveland Cavaliers fans' questions after the team's 124-121 loss to the Toronto Raptors on the road.

Welcome to Cavs Mailbag! In this daily mailbag, Spencer Davies will respond to fans’ curiosities surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout the duration of the 2023-24 season. In order to submit yours, simply send your questions on X to @SpinDavies or via email at spindavies22@gmail.com.

Since winning five of six games after losing Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the Cavs have dropped back-to-back contests to the Milwaukee Bucks and new-look Toronto Raptors. Despite the losses, the competition level has been solid and the overall offensive philosophy has been working in their favor.

Cleveland will get a chance to snap its two-game skid starting on Wednesday, as the team welcomes in the Washington Wizards for a mini-series at home. 

Let's get to your questions:

Why does Porter only get six minutes of playing time? - @NOHYPEJUSTBALL

Why does CPJ get no minutes? - @ClevelandHQ_

It's got to be frustrating as a fan to watch Craig Porter Jr. go out there, prove himself consistently and still be limited in his playing time. I'm sure that in some respects Porter has to wonder the same. 

He's on triple-double watch every time he gets extended minutes, organizes the game when the squad is out of sorts in certain sets, hustles for rebounds and chases down loose balls. 

You'd think that Porter's professionalism would be rewarded in some shape or fashion by now. This is a rookie on a two-way contract who's come to the rescue multiple times this season, including as recently as Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks with a tremendous fourth-quarter performance that nearly got Cleveland another steal of a win.

Instead, he's fallen once again in the pecking order. I understand the need for matching up (the Toronto Raptors are a lengthy bunch) and the plethora of guards at the Cavs' disposal, but six minutes of playing time for a first-year player who's already been one of the most dependable players on the team just isn't enough.

There's a way to make sure Porter gets on the floor for an appropriate amount of time while Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert can still get their run in. Of course, Sam Merrill's emergence makes that a little more difficult. But it's better to be have depth than to not! 

Dec 27, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter (9) looks to score as Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts during the first quarter at American Airlines Center / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Why doesn't J.B. go with the hot hand down the stretch? Sam Merrill was lighting it up and he took him out with six mins left. He plays his favorites. - @JonT187827

I paid attention to this as well. Since the Cavs took the lead at the 6:26 mark for the first time since the late portion of the first quarter, my assumption would be Bickerstaff wanted defense to close the game out. The subs were Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro for Merrill and Tristan Thompson at that point.

For all the good Merrill does offensively with his quick-trigger approach and perpetual motion, there is a disadvantage size-wise on the defensive end of the floor. He did get picked on a few different times on the block, so that'd be my guess.

I won't argue that J.B. Bickerstaff has his go-to guys. In his defense, the group that was out there got them back into the game in the first place in the third quarter. 

LeVert was terrific and Mitchell was too. Okoro had catch-shoot chances on drive-and-kicks, as did Max Strus and Georges Niang when the ball-handlers drew attention in the paint getting downhill. Missed shots can sting a little harder in winnable games. 

I will defend J.B. on the 26 second mark it look like he wanted a timeout but Mitchell totally ignored him did you see it that way? - @azuma_films

In rewatching the sequence, Bickerstaff was telling Strus and Mitchell to push the tempo off the stop and rebound. There was no indication of wanting to call time there. 

Mitchell then stepped into a rushed three-ball attempt and misfired. Although you live and die with your stars making those big ones, there should've been a better process and attempt in that spot. I'm sure he'd tell you the same there and take accountability.