NBA Notes: Cavs, Craig Porter Jr, Knicks, Thunder, Kenrich Williams

Cavaliers

Cleveland guard Craig Porter Jr. is making his intentions clear heading into Year 3 and he’s not exactly mincing words.

In an exclusive interview with Spencer Davies of ClutchPoints, Porter spoke about attacking camp with urgency and earning trust from the top down.

“Just being one of those guys when you walk into a gym and you see the preparation and the work that someone like (Donovan Mitchell is) putting in before we have our practice,” Porter said. “Just the stretches he’s doing, how serious he takes everything. Just showing them that I’m bought in.

“I just want to show them I’m serious about wanting to be that guy. Everybody feels like every team has their players that have solidified spots or whatever; I just realized like, ‘Hey, I’ve got to go take s**t from people.’ It’s just what this job is.”

Porter entered Summer League with high hopes and a mandate from the Cavs to be more vocal on and off the court. But after a quick start in Vegas, his run ended just six-and-a-half minutes into Game 1 due to a left hamstring injury.

“When it first happened, I was obviously pretty angry at what all the what-ifs could’ve been,” Porter said. “But I feel like now I’m at the point to where I feel almost indestructible just with the work I’ve been putting in with everyone this summer.”

Throughout the offseason, Porter has worked closely with coach Kenny Atkinson and the staff on “small things,” such as conditioning, shot selection, pace, and leadership.

“Everybody’s been seeing me in the gym,” Porter said. “They just know what really helps people get better. Everything they’ve helped me do has increased everything around me — not even just my on-court game. It’s been very detail-focused.”

With Darius Garland and Max Strus recovering from injuries, Porter will have a chance to carve out early minutes in Atkinson’s rotation.

Knicks

New head coach Mike Brown wants the Knicks to let it fly from deep this season, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.

Aside from Mitchell Robinson, every expected rotation player is projected to shoot at least league average from three, assuming Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet are on the final roster.

“I mean if we get 40 [threes] I’m cool with it,” Brown said. “We’ve got a couple of guys that we’ll allow to dance with it and let it go, and they know who they are. But if we play like we’re capable of — with pace, especially spacing, and the paint touches — we should generate a lot of catch-and-shoot threes.”

Thunder

Kenrich Williams, a key reserve during Oklahoma City’s championship run, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday. The team says he’ll be reevaluated in six to eight weeks.

Williams, 30, appeared in 69 games last season, averaging 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 16.4 minutes while shooting .483 from the field and .386 from three.

Nicknamed “Kenny Hustle,” he’s a fan favorite in OKC and is entering the final year of his deal, with a team option for 2026-27.

The Thunder have one of the deepest rosters in the league, but Williams’ absence is another blow, as rookie center Thomas Sorber was already lost to a season-ending ACL tear earlier this month.