Cavs’ Craig Porter Jr. eyes bigger role: ‘It’s all in my hands’

Craig Porter Jr. has waited for a chance to lead the Cavs’ second unit. This fall, he might finally get it.

Now comes the part where he has to make it his.

“The opportunity is there and I have to go take it. Honestly, it’s all in my hands,” Porter said, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

The offseason departures of Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis opened a path to the backup point guard job. Porter wasn’t celebrating the loss of teammates, but he understands what those moves could mean for his career.

“In this job, you hate to see guys go, but it’s kind of how it is — something has to happen to get an opportunity,” he said.

“They’re giving me an opportunity to showcase the things I can do and things I’ve worked on the last two or three years. I want to set the tone and let everybody know I can be the leader of the second unit and impact winning basketball, whether it be scoring or doing a lot of the little things I do.”

As Fedor details, Porter faces competition from Tyrese Proctor and rookie Meleek Thomas. Porter brings the most NBA experience of the three, with 166 appearances since joining Cleveland in 2023.

Experience helps. So does having people in the organization who believe in you. Neither comes with a guaranteed spot in Kenny Atkinson’s rotation.

“We think the world of him and his work ethic and who he is as a person,” Cavs president Koby Altman said. “He has a great opportunity in front of him, but we can’t promise anything. This is the NBA. It’s such a competitive league and it’s really competitive in that gym and in-house as we continue to add more talent to that group.”

Porter is entering the final year of his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Winning the job would give him a chance to establish a regular role, with his next deal also on the horizon.

The Cavs don’t need him to be James Harden. They need someone who can run the offense, settle the second unit and keep things moving when Harden sits. Porter sounds ready to make his case.

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