Kevin Porter Jr. growing in confidence for Rockets

“He [Kevin Porter Jr.] is a big shot taker and I love that about him,” Coach Stephen Silas said.

Houston Rockets’ Twitter, Kevin Porter Jr. has heard all of the negativity. Recently, Porter disabled his Twitter after going through negative criticism from the Houston fanbase. Porter has played terrific after disabling Twitter. He is blocking out the noise and ignoring the criticism he consistently gets from Twitter. It’s fun to watch Porter pound on his chest, celebrate with his teammates, and yell at the crowd. Basketball becomes enjoyable for him when the game is inside his control. As of right now, Porter’s Twitter is still disabled as that is helping ignore any criticism.

In addition, his efficiency and big shot making is starting to become more noticeable amongst spectators. In four games, Porter is averaging 18 points per game with shooting splits of 50/44/83.3 percent from the field.

Porter has numerously been pointed out because of his poor shooting and turnovers, but things have become easier for him lately. Inside the last four games, Porter is only turning the ball over three-times per game, which is favorable for him. While Porter isn’t allowing himself to miss reads, he is finding his teammates on time. ‘Drive-and-kick’ is starting to become butter for Porter, as it’s an easy one-two read as he drives and looks for a teammate amongst the perimeter.

Also, before I continue: Porter racked up six assists in the first quarter versus the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. Silas said:

“He was super-efficient tonight and that’s what we are going to need from him. For us to turn the ball over as a group nine-times tonight is huge. Especially, after we turned the ball over 23-times in our last game with Sacramento. Yeah, it’s important for him to learn and go through... whether its him being blitzed or him playing against drops. He is slowly but surely doing a good job with.”

Besides the ‘drive-and-kick’, Porter and Christian Wood are becoming better at pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop. Porter understands the simple reads on that play. Wood has always done a great of slipping the pick or popping above the arc for an open look. With Wood understanding the coverages of the opposing defenses, it allows Porter to find him. Porter is showing the ability to make the pocket pass to Wood, which isn’t an easy pass.

When Porter gets his teammates involved, it makes it easier to find his shot. Porter has a plethora of combinations to free himself from defenders so he can get his shot off. Defenders have a hard time staying in front of Porter because of his quirky ball handling. His step-backs cause a ton of separation. The only thing missing from Porter’s recipe was his shot falling. Within these last four games, Porter has taken one step at time, and he is seeing his shot fall more consistently.

Ever since the game winning shot against the Washington Wizards, Coach Silas has shown unbelievable confidence in Porter. He has been using the ‘wiper action’ to free up Porter, as that creates an uneven switch, which allows him to take advantage of an easier defensive opponent.

Porter is starting to mature in front of spectator's eyes. He is consistently making big-time shots. Wood and other teammates are behind the heroic efforts of Porter. In the last minute of action, Porter is shooting 50 percent from the field per NBA Stats. Wood and Silas said:

“He [Porter] is starting to find his rhythm, which is great for us. He has been hitting big shots in the fourth quarter. And we trust him as teammates to hit those shots. He has the ultimate confidence to shoot it.”

He [Porter] is confident at that time of the game and I’m confident in him. He has the ball in his hands, and he is going to make the right decision. Yeah, he is learning the point guard position. And his confidence down the stretch is supper important for our team. Tonight, he made that shot, San Antonio he made those three threes, and the Washington game he made the game winner. Those three road games he has kind of closed them for us. He showed a lot of poise and confidence.

Porter’s confidence continues to show throughout each game. His biggest supporter, John Lucas, is the first to congratulate him every time a huge play or shot is made. Honestly, it’s incredible to see the two on the same page again after that debacle on January 1. Lucas is a huge piece in Porter’s development with the Rockets. When Porter starts to become frustrated with himself, Lucas is the first in his corner.

This organization loves Porter and wants to see him to continue to grow at the point guard position. As Porter continues to hit these shots, a big boulder is taken off his back.

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