Kevin Porter Jr.’s career night shows off youngster’s potential ceiling

After going through a daunting season, the Houston Rockets became victorious Thursday night versus the Milwaukee Bucks. This win was special because of Kevin Porter Jr. creating a unique and historic night. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Porter became just the fourth player in NBA history to score 50 points at 20 years old.

The players in front of Porter are LeBron James (twice), Brandon Jennings, and Devin Booker, which is a special list.

Porter went against former Rocket P.J. Tucker and Milwaukee stopper Jrue Holiday, which are some of the NBA’s and Bucks’ best defenders. No matter who guarded him, he came with a variety of moves and step-back shots from inside and outside of the perimeter and blew by numerous defenders. It became easy to see that Porter played with complete confidence. He said:

“As most know that know me, I’m very hard on myself, and I’m a perfectionist. One missed shot can kind of throw me off, throw my game off if I thought it was going in. I’ve been much improved… not letting it carry on to another game. I usually let one game affect multiple games. I’ve just been trying to improve on that.

Just stay confident. Keep telling myself the next one’s going in, the next read is going to be the right read, just staying positive so I can go out there and make the team better.”

Porter’s shootings splits from Thursday night are explosive. He shot 61 percent from the field, 60 percent behind the three-point line, and 81 percent at the free throw line.

Porter understands what it takes to beat elite teams: more than just scoring. Besides scoring 50-points, he also had 11 assists, which gave him a double-double. He made incredible and nifty passes to his teammates all night. Although Porter also had five turnovers, his decision making seemed confident.

If Porter continues and learns how to play though his mistakes, he’ll reach an unbelievable ceiling.

”I was just so proud of him,” Coach Silas said. “We haven’t had very many moments that have been super positive. I was so proud of that kid tonight.

Porter looked like his idol James Harden by being able to score and pass in a huge win. After having horrific night versus the Minnesota Timberwolves and coming off COVID Protocol, Porter responded well.

”He can get down, but the thing about him is he snaps right back,” Coach Silas said. “That’s a good quality to have.”