Kevin Porter Jr. returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup Monday and contributed to snapping their seven-game losing streak.
After missing the previous 10 games, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Porter Jr. returned to action Monday night in Detroit. Porter was out due to a knee injury. An injury which initially had a return timetable of 1-2 weeks. After reevaluating his knee, the determination was made that more time was needed in order to recover.
Kevin Porter Jr. came off the bench and played 16 minutes in the Cavaliers 115-100 victory over the Pistons. Porter went 4-8 from the field and made his lone free throw attempt of the night, totaling nine points. Porter also had three steals a, one block, and one rebound.
Kevin Porter Jr. was the only Cavs bench player to finish was a plus/minus over +10. In fact, Porter’s plus/minus of +11 was better than two of Cleveland’s starters (Collin Sexton and Darius Garland both finished at +10 in the contest).
The Cavaliers look like a completely different team when they have Kevin Porter Jr. There is certainly more athleticism in the lineup with Porter in it The Cavaliers appear to mesh a bit better compared to when others are in the lineup.
Kevin Porter Jr. is currently averaging 8.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 21.8 minutes per game this season. Porter should be an integral piece for the Cavaliers moving forward. Cleveland is looking for pieces that will help them in the long-term and Porter looks like a legitimate long-term piece. A core consisting of Porter, Collin Sexton, and Darius Garland could be a promising start as the Cavaliers continue to build in the second post-LeBron era.
