Cavs Breakout Guard Is Excited For Evolving Role This Season

Craig Porter Jr. still believes he can have a big impact in the Cleveland Cavaliers' offense.

Dec 23, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter (9) brings the ball up court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

A year ago, Craig Porter Jr. signed a two-way deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, hoping to appear in a few NBA games along the way. Now, he's signed a long-term contract and has a chance to be in the team's rotation after a breakout rookie season.

However, the Cavs also have a new head coach in Kenny Atkinson, and with that, will have a new type of offense as well.

Porter was asked about his role in the offense, and the second-year guard doesn't envision himself having a drastically different job on the team. However, he is excited to impact the game in any way he can.

"I think [my role] will be pretty similar just because I, as a player, I understand that things are just going to happen in a game," said Porter. "You just have to kind of figure it out and react, too. Like I said, I don't need the ball or anything. So I can just figure out the little details within the game to figure out how to insert myself. I feel like that's my strongest thing."

Mar 25, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter (9) brings the ball up court in the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

This is exactly the type of response you want to hear from a reserve player. Porter is certainly correct that he doesn't need to have the ball in his hands to make an impact.

The guard grabbed 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals with a defensive rating of 113 in 51 games last season. However, CPJ was just as efficient when he was running the offense. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.3 assists while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and 35.3 percent from behind the arc.

The Cavs found a steal with Porter in last year's unrestricted free agency, and he could be a key peice in Cleveland's offense this season.