Kevin Porter Jr. missed more than a quarter of his freshman season at USC due to injury. He missed another couple games due to suspension. When he played, he usually came off the bench. He’s only 18.
But Porter has already shown enough to impress NBA teams.
Porter, via Jonathan Givony of ESPN:
Porter has a wide possible range in the first round, because there’s a massive gap between his ceiling and floor. But it shouldn’t take too long for a team to bet on his upside.
A 6-foot-6 shooting guard with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, Porter has a special combination of shiftiness and power with the ball in his hands. He can attack the rim and finish above it. He can also pull up for jumpers.
I don’t trust his 41% 3-point shooting at USC. That came on only 68 attempts, and he made just 52% of his free throws (though that was also on an unreliably small sample, just 46 attempts). But his stroke looks compact and smooth.
Porter can be an impressive passer. Right now, that’s more so making quick and correct standstill reads than distributing while driving.
If he improves his handle, that could really tie together all his skills.
Porter forces too many bad shots. He’s not attentive enough defensively. There are questions about his maturity.
But if he pans out at the next level, he could be awesome.
