Craig Porter Jr. does not look special at first glance. He is the Cavaliers’ backup point guard. Nothing flashy. Nothing loud. But once you watch him play, it clicks.
Sunday night in Portland was the perfect example.
Cleveland beat the Trail Blazers 130 111. Porter barely scored. Just 3 points. But his impact was everywhere. He finished with 12 assists. He added 5 steals. He even had 2 blocks.
That stat line matters.
According to StatMuse, no bench player has done that since 1993. That is more than 30 years. And Porter did it in just 28 minutes.
Most of his assists went to Jarrett Allen. Porter kept finding him in the right spots. Easy looks. Clean finishes. Allen took full advantage and scored a career high 40 points. Porter was the engine behind it.
The defense was just as impressive.
In the second quarter, Porter blocked Donovan Clingan near the rim. Clingan is 7 foot 2. Porter is much shorter. At first, the refs called a foul. After review, they overturned it. The block was clean. A guard stopping a giant at the basket.
Moments later, Porter did it again. He sprinted back into the play. Came from behind. Swatted a 3 point attempt. Not only did he block it. He caught it himself and pushed the ball the other way.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson once joked that Porter plays like a power forward. But that is only half true. He sees the floor like a point guard. He reads plays early. He anticipates passes. He just happens to block shots like someone much bigger.
He does the little things. The rare things. The things that do not show up in points.
And that is what makes Craig Porter Jr. so fun to watch.