Craig Porter Jr. Shares Which Cavaliers Are Taking Him Under Their Wing And Advice He’s Gotten
Coming off an NBA Summer League championship win in Las Vegas, the stock of Cleveland Cavaliers two-way contract rookie Craig Porter Jr. has risen fast — particularly inside the walls of the locker room.
After Wednesday’s training camp practice, Porter pointed out that there hasn’t been one teammate of his who hasn’t lent a word of wisdom to him. But it’s the guard room that has been showing him the ropes the most — Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell in particular.
“Even Caris [LeVert], but really, it's been Darius and Donovan a lot because they know the potential I have and some of the things I could add to even help their game,” Porter said. “Just make it a little easier for everybody. So really they've been in my ear just telling me a bunch of little things like it's gonna be hard at first and really stick with it because you never know when your name's gonna be called. So just be ready.”
“Craig has been really good,” Garland said. “He's really super athletic for his size, he can really jump. He’s really patient in the paint. He's really good at decision-making, so I like him a lot.”
Oct 2, 2023; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter Jr. (9) during media day at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
In his first training camp and during the team’s first preseason game in Atlanta, the 23-year-old cracked a smile telling reporters a lesson he’s learned already.
“Whenever a coach is saying something, actually pay attention 'cause there's times where I'm sitting out for a while — which happens in my role — and it'll be times where you might daydream a little bit,” Porter said. “But they just tell me [to] lock in and just stay focused. Even some of the defensive stuff, just picking up on it quicker is a big thing for some of the coaches.”
Porter didn’t waste any time making his presence felt when he got into the game on Tuesday night in the fourth quarter. From the right elbow, he made a quick move to knife into the paint and finished a two-hand slam with authority.
“I had to get that in. I was a little cold,” Porter chuckled.
With such a deep backcourt, Porter will likely see the majority of his minutes in the G League with the Cleveland Charge. With that said, the organization is looking forward to the undrafted rookie contributing in all sorts of ways when he does get the chance with the Cavs.
“Everything's been great. It's a great group of guys. Everybody's right around the same age, so it's not really any awkward moments or feelings,” Porter said. “But I mean it's a great group of leaders and people just being able to take that role and help the young guys, help us learn some things.
“Even in the preseason game, they're telling us [to] just have fun. It's basketball. It's what you do for a living, so really just go out there, have fun and just play the way the Cavs play.”
