LAS VEGAS -- It was mid-April last year when members of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office, including general manager Koby Altman and assistant GM Mike Gansey, flew out to the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon. Like so many other credentialed scouts, media members and executives, the Cavs were there to check out RJ Barrett, Cameron Reddish, Darius Bazley, Bol Bol and Darius Garland.

But another youngster captured their attention. A player who didn’t even get invited to play for Team USA, so he scrimmaged against them instead. It was Kevin Porter Jr.

“He had like 40. He looked like James Harden. He was cooking dudes. Unguardable 1 on 1. He was doing whatever he wanted against anyone,” one executive in attendance recalled in a recent conversation. “It was like, ‘Who is this guy?’ I heard of his name, but I hadn’t really watched him in depth yet. There wasn’t a lot of structure. Kind of like a pickup game, but it was like, ‘Wow!’ You came out of there and you’re like, ‘He has great size, can score it at all three levels, he’s explosive and has an NBA body.’ That got him on the map.”

Porter was on spring break. He went from Seattle to Tacoma to catch a train. Then he took an Amtrak to Portland. In all, it was a journey of almost 200 miles so he could offer a window into his potential at the Trail Blazers training facility.

And make an emphatic statement.

That day, Porter played for the Portland Generals, a scout team thrown together that featured mostly former Division I players from the Northwest who were brought in to scrimmage against Team USA in preparation for the next night’s game against Team World. NBA star Damian Lillard sat in the front row. He was mesmerized. Altman was blown away too. He still grins when discussing Porter’s dazzling show.

“He lit up the gym and he wasn’t even on the USA team,” Altman told cleveland.com. “That performance stayed with me.”

More than a year later, the Cavaliers traded what could be four future second-round picks and sent $5 million to the Detroit Pistons for Porter’s draft rights, snagging him with the final pick of the first round and punctuating a three-player draft class that is supposed to anchor this lengthy -- and likely painful -- rebuild.

“Just a monster talent that we’ve been following pretty closely,” Altman said of Porter. “I think he needs some structure and needs some mentors. We’re super excited to take on the challenge because of how talented he is. He is a genuine kid and he wants to be great.”

So how does a player dripping with that much ability nearly slide out of Round One, especially in a draft that supposedly lacked high-end talent after the first handful of picks?

At the time of that scrimmage, when Porter captured the NBA’s attention, he was a top 100 recruit, on his way to USC. Dubbed the next great hooper from Seattle, following in the footsteps of Brandon Roy, Dejounte Murray -- Porter’s teammate at Rainier Beach High School -- Jamal Crawford -- Porter’s “big brother” -- and Nate Robinson, the tantalizing lefty turned down offers from Oregon, Washington, UCLA and California. But his freshman season was a flop.

He missed nine games with a quad contusion and was suspended two more for undisclosed reasons. In 21 games at USC, Porter averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.1 minutes, hardly the kind of numbers expected from a touted five-star recruit. He started just four games, clearly unable to mesh with the Trojans’ coaching staff.

Then came more adversity during the pre-draft process, as Porter suffered a hip flexor injury that is still bothering him.

All of those issues only lengthened the list of questions that already existed because of his rough upbringing -- having to overcome his father’s death when he was just four years old (why he wears the No. 4) and the ruthless Seattle streets.

“It challenged me mentally when I was young,” Porter told cleveland.com. “Growing up I always had challenges and always conquered them. I always overcame obstacles. I feel like everything I’ve been through helped me prepare for where I’m at today and had a big impact on me.”

No matter what happened in his life, basketball was always Porter’s escape. As he said during a recent interview, he never had a Plan B. He did everything he could to make Plan A his reality. On June 20, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stepped to the podium and announced Porter’s name as a first-round pick.

“It was definitely a sweet moment for me,” Porter said. “I’ve been waiting for this all my life, to be in the NBA and shaking the commissioner’s hand and having that whole moment. It was definitely exciting and a huge relief hearing my name called.”

If not for the clearly-smitten Cavs, who had Porter locked on their radar for months, he would’ve tumbled out of the first round. It would have been a shocking -- and disappointing -- fall for a player labeled one of the most talented in the draft.

That’s what the Cavs are gambling on. That’s why they traded for him. They are hoping Porter, an immature teenager in college, recognizes his past slip-ups and makes the necessary corrections. They are trusting their coaches, led by John Beilein, to reach Porter and mold him in a way USC’s Andy Enfeld couldn’t. They are putting their faith in a culture centered on professionalism, accountability, selflessness and hard work. They are believing that Porter will leave his baggage in the past. Betting that Porter’s immense talent prevails.

“I wouldn’t call it baggage,” Altman said. “Just an upbringing that was a little tougher. He had more challenges coming up than others from where he grew up. For us, I think we have the right people around that want to help, want to see a young kid mature and be great. Then we have really good veterans too that can help him out. He’s a good kid. He just needs to be pointed in the right direction.”

The Cavs have spent ample time around Porter, trying to get to know him on a deep level. Altman made frequent trips to Southern Cal and other Pac-12 cities to watch Porter in person. The two built a connection. Members of the Cleveland brass met with Porter at the NBA Scouting Combine in Chicago. Then they brought him in for dinner and a private workout on June 9, before Porter suffered his hip injury.

According to those in attendance, Porter came across as a really good kid and looked great in that workout. How could he not? His talent is undeniable.

“We had him really high,” one member of the organization said. “Shocked he fell that far. At 30, what we gave up, the 30th pick? For him? That’s really good value. We’re in the phase right now where we have to take chances. But now it’s up to him to live up to his billing.”

Yes, Porter is raw, and the Cavs are likely going to work to get his release a little higher. He has an uncanny ability to create space off the dribble, a la Harden, who Porter has always tried to emulate. His step-back jumper is lethal and he’s devastating in isolation. At 6-foot-6 and 213 pounds, with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, Porter is a powerfully built, athletic guard who flashed creativity and dynamic scoring instincts mixed with plenty of inconsistency.

The Cavs are also committed to teaching him how to be a pro -- sleeping right, changing his diet, rehabbing properly. Following one of the games in Salt Lake City, assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb was pushing Porter to try a turkey burger. He consistently woke up early for breakfast and dined with fellow rookie Dylan Windler in Utah. He’s going to have to stick with a strict schedule.

At 19 years old, Porter will experience plenty of things for the first time. On Wednesday night, while his teammates were playing their Salt Lake City Summer League finale, Porter was signing his first contract. He’s not in college anymore. He can’t pull the same nonsense. There’s a higher standard in Cleveland.

“He’s very important to us,” a team source said. “We’re going to do everything we possibly can to have everything there for him to be successful.”

And now Porter comes to Cleveland with plenty of motivation, which could be a blessing. Porter believes he’s been overlooked for years. He wasn’t invited to the McDonald’s All-American Game. He never got the call for the Jordan Brand Classic. He was ranked lower than he thought coming out of high school, where he was named Washington Mr. Basketball. He won’t forget the long wait on draft night either.

“All the teams that passed on me, I want to prove them wrong,” Porter said. “I’m happy where I’m at, happy to be a Cavalier and everybody in this organization takes care of us so I’m happy where I fell, but just want to prove everybody wrong and despite all the doubts go out there and have fun.

“I was projected higher. I was a top 5 talent in this draft class. I know I was. I’m just blessed that the Cavs took a chance on me and I’m going to buy in and do all I can for this team.”

Porter said his goal as a rookie is to “have the opposite year I had at USC.” He’s fully aware of the outside criticism. He knows teams had concerns about spending a first-round pick on him. He’s been asked plenty about his past mistakes. His character has been questioned. He’s been interrogated for months. Finally, he can put that all behind him and focus on basketball.

“Go back to what I love doing, which is being a killer and getting buckets,” Porter said. “I’m a scorer. But also contribute to my team every single night and if that’s scoring then I will score and if that’s rebounding than I will get all the boards. I just want to do everything I can to contribute to this team.”

Heading into the draft Porter was an enigma. He still is -- in large part because he hasn’t been able to show at summer league. Not his fault, but it hasn’t helped that he arrived to the team late, not having an introductory press conference alongside Darius Garland and Windler because the trade between Cleveland and Detroit wasn’t official until June 26.

The Cavs have an idea of what to expect from Garland. He was the fifth-overall pick and will be starting next to Collin Sexton in a potentially-thrilling backcourt. Windler is supposed to have a specific role as well, with Beilein raving about his basketball IQ, floor spacing and deep shooting range. Porter? Well…

“I think he’s a wild card,” a team source said. “He could be in the G League this year or he could be starting. There’s such a range with him, but he gives us something different. He can go get his own shot. He’s a big two-guard who can play the 3. It’s a little unclear right now. It’s so early. He has so much talent and hopefully we can get the best out of him. But who knows?”

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