CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Larry Nance Jr. knew it early. Many in the Cleveland Cavaliers organization did, too.

During one of the first training camp practices, rookie Kevin Porter Jr. was isolated against Cedi Osman. Porter crossed over, hit Osman with a hesitation before making a motion with a dribble that he was going into his patented pull-up jumper. Only he didn’t. It was a fake. Osman bought it, jumping up and attempting to block a shot that wasn’t yet coming.

With Osman in the air, Porter crossed again with his left hand and sped into the paint for a strong finish over backup center John Henson.

“That’s when I was like, ‘OK, we’ve got something here with this kid,’” Nance told cleveland.com. “You know how you see some guys make one-on-one moves and you’re like, ‘I could work on that for 10 years and not be able to do it?’ His feel for the game in terms of iso situations is just ridiculous. He’s a freak.

"As athletic as I think I am, I can’t do some of the things he’s done. There are some things he does athletically and things he sees on the court that scream, ‘I will be in the league, playing at a high level, for a while.’”

Everyone has a Porter story like that, when they first felt like the unpolished teenager, oozing with a mix of thrilling talent and mystery, belonged in the NBA.

For Brandon Knight, now with the Detroit Pistons following a deadline trade that brought Andre Drummond to Cleveland, that moment came in an October practice.

“He went up like he was going to dunk, got fouled and kind of hung in the air for seconds,” Knight recalled. “Just hanging up there by the rim. We all saw it and were like ‘what the hell?’ His athleticism is just, for that age ... I mean, there are a lot of young, athletic kids, but just at his size, how shifty he is, that’s what I noticed immediately. Can’t teach that.”

“In training camp I saw the way he moves, how he could get to the rim, his shiftiness and the way he can get in there and play at his own pace and then also make passes out of that. When I saw that I was like, ‘Wow, he’s got something different to his game,’” Matthew Dellavedova said. “Then early on, his defensive instincts are good, whether it’s blowing up a handoff or rotations on the weak side, putting his body in there to get rebounds.

"It wasn’t like a specific moment or game, but little things he does like that. For a guy who has played one year of college, that impressed me right away.”

Tristan Thompson didn’t need any new data. He didn’t have to see Porter in a Cavaliers uniform to believe. Thompson prides himself on deep basketball knowledge. He’s been watching Porter for years, going back to Porter’s prep days at famed Rainer Beach High School in Seattle, Wash. -- which has churned out numerous NBA players.

“I always knew how good the kid was,” Thompson said. “I’ve always liked his game since high school. It wasn’t a surprise to me. I was probably the first person in the organization to notice him before he came to the NBA. ... I have a talent for scouting.”

As for Osman, he doesn’t recall that training camp moment. His first interaction with Porter came during summer league; even then it was just a brief glimpse. Porter, the third member of Cleveland’s draft class, couldn’t suit up because of a minor injury. So Osman had to wait before making an assessment.

When the scrimmages started in late September, asked to stay in front of the rookie, it didn’t take long for Osman to notice what everyone else did.

“I think the biggest thing about him is he’s fearless,” Osman said. “He will always take that challenge. He will go at everybody. That’s what I like about him. He’s always ready offensively and defensively. He’s a really talented, athletic guy. I saw it early in training camp. He hates losing.”

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kevin Porter Jr. reacts after hitting a three against the Miami Heat in the second half. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Just want to win

Porter is 49 games into his rookie season, still just scratching the surface. Those hypnotizing moments that first astounded teammates in training camp have kept piling up.

In December, his first matchup against one of his idols -- Houston Rockets MVP James Harden -- Porter dueled the lethal lefty down the stretch, going shot for shot and earning Harden’s respect. Porter finished with a then-career high 24 points. Yet, the performance didn’t sit well. The Cavs lost. It’s all he’s talked about since being drafted by Cleveland. He wants to be at the center of an epic turnaround.

“I just want to win,” Porter said. “I can play zero minutes. If we win I don’t care. I’ve always been part of a winning culture, especially coming up before college where I used to win back home. I just love winning and competing and I want to see my brothers do great.”

His thunderous transition dunk over two Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 25 still comes up when discussing Porter’s standout highlights. Same with many other flex-inducing throwdowns from this season. Last Monday night, he poured in 30 points and drained clutch 3-pointers, igniting an improbable comeback over the Miami Heat -- a few more clips to the highlight reel. A week later he made his third NBA start, getting a chance to challenge himself against All-Star Donovan Mitchell.

But Porter, the bouncy and energetic rookie who plays the game with passion that sometimes gets the best of him, is constantly fighting to prove he belongs.

“My teammates will probably say I’ve had a couple of moments already, but I don’t really like praising myself like that,” he said. “I’m hard on myself. If I did have a moment I probably wouldn’t be the one to say I did. There are times where I definitely felt like I belong here, like I should be here. I just want to get better so I can stay here.”

When pushed, Porter wouldn’t pinpoint a shot, layup, scoring binge or crafty dribble. For him, that moment was something else -- a stretch that probably didn’t make its way into a headline or viral video.

“The Chicago game where I got my first minutes in the fourth,” Porter said, referencing the night of Oct. 30 where he scored five points and had one assist in the final quarter during Cleveland’s 117-111 win against the Bulls. “Like, actual minutes in crunch time. I made a couple of plays for the team, got a lot of praise from it and it was like, ‘OK, I belong and I can contribute to wins and I can be in there in the fourth and Coach (John Beilein) trusts me.’ That was probably the first time my confidence got back up to where it was and where it was supposed to be.”

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff volunteered to work with Kevin Porter Jr. before the season. Getty Images

Bond with Bickerstaff

Before the season, ex-coach John Beilein split up his assistants, having each oversee the development of at least one player. It was a chance to form relationships, build trust and create a routine. J.B. Bickerstaff, who has since taken over for Beilein, specifically asked for Porter.

“It was his story. His background. Somewhat being overlooked because of what people thought about him as opposed to who he really is,” Bickerstaff said about the attraction. "I think my background is helpful. The type of kid he is, he gets it. He loves to hoop. He’s competitive. He wants to be a part of the team, first and foremost. He’s not begging for touches, play calls or any of that stuff. He’s a competitor who wants to win and help the team first.

“When you have the opportunity to work with somebody like that ... you want to do all that you can to help him be successful and reach his potential. All the people who thought they knew, we had an opportunity to really get to know him and now we can help him prove those people wrong. I see a high, high ceiling and I wanted the challenge of helping him get there.”

One of the first things Bickerstaff noticed, aside from Porter’s mesmerizing natural talent and length that could one day help Cleveland’s smaller-than-usual backcourt, was an overlooked basketball IQ.

“You can have a conversation at like 6:25 and then at 7:05 he’s doing the things you asked him to do in that conversation,” Bickerstaff said. “A lot of guys, it takes a while to figure it out. He is the type of kid who can literally translate it from conversation to the floor."

Following practices and shootarounds or before games, even now Bickerstaff is on the floor with Porter. The two, with assistance from development coach Sam Jones, run through a variety of shooting and ball-handling drills. They work on catch-and-shoot attempts, off-the-dribble pull-ups, step-backs. As he’s going through that workout, Bickerstaff often shouts the same thing:

Use your legs, K.P. Get that elbow up. Good. That’s it!

“I think the most important thing is he has to shoot it when he’s open,” Bickerstaff said. “That confidence will breed more success.

"With his shot, what we do is we watch what he does when he makes it and try to get him to repeat that. It’s not a complete overhaul, changing of the shot. It’s honing to find what he does when it’s right and how do we get him there more often than not. ... His shot doesn’t finish in a bad place. His hands are under the ball. I think the thing we keep working on is trying to get it up and as long as he gets his elbow up, the shot finishes in the right place.”

Bickerstaff, like many in Cleveland, has been watching Porter since his enigmatic college days at USC.

Porter was considered a recruiting coup for the program, with USC able to pry him away from Washington. But he finished an injury-shortened season averaging just 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists, getting completely overshadowed by other freshmen putting up gaudy stats and leading teams to the NCAA Tournament. That’s when the pre-draft questions arose.

“Obviously there wasn’t a ton of film because of the injury and all that type of stuff, but you could see that he could do things that not a lot of other people could do,” Bickerstaff said. “You work with him a little bit. Then you see him in training camp against other NBA guys and then it’s like, ‘Woah, that translates.’ The explosiveness, the ability to create, willingness to pass the ball, all those things, it just fits in the game. Then you throw the size, speed and all that stuff together and it works.”

Much of the focus has been on Porter’s on-court development, from erratic teenager to a more mature, reliable and complete player.

In order to start becoming that, the Cavs needed Porter to be more comfortable playing without the ball, especially since he was sharing the floor with a pair of ball-dominant young guards (Darius Garland and Colin Sexton) and a former All-Star who needs consistent touches (Kevin Love).

“It’s different for him. His whole life he’s been the player with the ball in his hands,” Bickerstaff said. “Now you play with other guys who have the ball in their hands, so how do you still have an impact on the game. It’s the defensive rebounding, cutting and many other things that we’re still working on.”

Asked where he’s improved most from the beginning of the season, Porter cited defense -- a surprising answer.

“I’ve always felt I’ve been a good on-ball defender, but my help defense was lacking, especially last year in college,” Porter said. “I’ve been putting an emphasis on that, so that’s been an upgrade.

"I always had the ability to play defense, but I used to pick and choose whether I did. Now I put more emphasis on myself to lock up and try to guard the best player out there and be that guy that makes it tough for people. That’s just taking pride in defense and not allowing people to score on you, that’s just heart right there.”

His size, length, speed, quickness, agility, athleticism, active hands and toughness all provide a good foundation. Even though Porter has a tendency to detach from shooters, stare at the ball too long and lose sight of his man, that seems to be more about a lack of experience than desire.

“You look at the teams that have success now, they put guys on the floor who are capable of doing it on both ends of the floor," said Bickerstaff. "It may not always look perfect as of yet, but he really cares about defending and getting stops. You establish a culture of two-way guys and it makes you a better team along the way.”

As much as the Cavs want to see Porter blossom on the floor, they continue to invest in Porter, the person. They’ve taught him how to eat right, the value of sleep, recovery and taking care of his body. They’ve given him the structure he never had.

Bickerstaff and Porter talk about life as much as basketball. It’s part of the reason they’ve become so close. Bickerstaff has always viewed player development as something bigger than basketball. Like Beilein before him, he tries to focus on little victories during this grueling rebuild. He’s working on fixing Cleveland’s cracked culture.

He will be hard on guys, raising his voice when the situation demands it. That’s part of the job, just like a few weeks back when Porter didn’t see the floor in the fourth quarter against the Heat.

But, for the most part, Bickerstaff tries to offer encouragement to build confidence and foster growth.

“You find that baseline, that’s where you start and then it jumps to the next step," said the coach. "Until you know what that baseline is, you don’t want to just say, ‘We’re going to do this, this and this.’ Because who knows if he can do that or if that fits for him.

"You watch, you study and find out strengths. And then it’s, ‘Now, we’re going to continue to work on those strengths because you’re really good at that and that’s what got you here.’ Then we find the areas of improvement as well. I think the focus on his strengths instead of poking holes in weaknesses is more important. You build him up, he has confidence in what he does well and then that gives you room to go to the things he needs to work on and develop.”

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kevin Porter Jr. reacts after soaring to the rim for a dunk against the LA Clippers in the first half. cleveland.com

Opportunity knocks

Porter was the third player chosen by the Cavs, 30th overall. Bickerstaff was part of the evaluation team which decided to trade back into the first round, stopping Porter’s freefall. Given the questions that caused him to plummet, the Cavs were taking a risk -- giving up four second-round picks and money.

Heading into camp, many of those questions remained. Beilein was only going to play around nine or 10 guys. Would Porter be in the early-season rotation? Dylan Windler, the 26th pick, had more experience, seemed more NBA-ready and appeared to have the inside track on a clearly-defined role.

But Windler’s stress reaction, and eventual season-ending surgery, gave Porter an opening. The draft’s wild card broke camp as the backup small forward. His first game was a complete dud, missing all six of his shots in 17 minutes. He’s only been held scoreless once more in the other 48 games.

Such a bright light, the organization didn’t wait until the trade deadline to move Jordan Clarkson. They had always planned to deal him, but the urgency was rooted in wanting Porter to get more meaningful chances, not the two second-round picks or reclamation project Dante Exum.

It was about Porter, Sexton and Garland.

On the night of the trade, Porter had one of his best games, playing a crucial role in the fourth quarter and getting rare late-game minutes. It validated the front office’s decision. It fast-tracked Porter’s rise. He capped that two-month stretch with a career masterpiece last Monday, shining in crunch time, burying jumpers and amazing teammates once again, leading them to believe he’s the youngster who could eventually alter the franchise’s trajectory.

“He has that quiet confidence about him and I don’t even know if he knows how good he can be,” Love said. “He’s unorthodox, can use both hands, can shoot the ball, use his body, so he’s figuring all that out and he’s, what, 19 years old? Is he 20 yet? No, he’s not? He’s still 19? Holy s---! I turned 20 right before my rookie season started. Think about that. It’s extremely positive for what lies ahead. He has so much to work with.”

“He plays like a pro. Has a lot of Harden in him,” Thompson said. “What gives him an advantage is he’s 6-foot-7 (actually listed at 6-4) with a strong body, especially at the guard position. If you can handle the ball at that size, especially with that strength, it’s a matchup problem.”

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kevin Porter Jr. makes a pass guarded by Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley in the first quarter, March 2, 2020, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. John Kuntz, cleveland.com

The next step

While teammates continue to rave, he keeps working to prove them right.

“It pushes me to be better. I know my potential. I know what I can be,” Porter said. “With that, it’s just more of a confidence booster hearing those things like that and having the vets behind me, talking to me all the time about this league. All that just contributes to my growth and the team’s growth.”

So is Porter surprised he’s been able to flourish so soon?

“Not really,” he said. “I feel like putting the work in and being here, I feel opportunity is going to come. I feel as a team we are moving in the right direction of where we want to be and I feel as a player, as an individual, I’m doing that too.”

He’s not the only one sensing that. Bickerstaff has noticed many appealing qualities. Porter’s passing potential has Bickerstaff thinking about experimenting with him at point guard over the final few weeks, giving him more opportunities to be a playmaker and explore what that would mean for Porter -- and the franchise -- moving into 2020-21.

“I think he’s one of our best passers,” Bickerstaff said. "Now he’s making the right plays and playing with confidence. He’s one of our best post feeders. He gets Kevin Love the ball in the post as well as anybody.

"I think of guys like Manu Ginobli who had similar talent and early in his career he had a lot of turnovers because he was making those passes, but obviously his teammates got better at being prepared. I think the experience of playing with one another, our guys will get better, too.

"I wouldn’t put a position on him. I think he’s a basketball player and going to be a really good one.”

The next step for Porter is consistency, something Bickerstaff continues to talk about with him on game days. Two nights after his career game, Porter had just five points, six assists and five rebounds against the 76ers. In New Orleans on Friday night, he was just 7-of-19 from the field. In four games since that 30-point eruption, Porter is shooting 19-of-52 (36.5%) and 6-of-25 (24%) from 3-point range.

“Consistency is the hardest part in the NBA,” Bickerstaff said. "Just being able to do it every single night. I told him, ‘The great players do it 80 nights, you know? The good players do it probably about 65 and the average players can do it about 30 or 35. Being able to show up every single night and bring that same productivity, that’s what makes the greats great.' He’s gotta work at that. It’s hard.

“But he has the ability, if we get him to reach his potential, to be the cornerstone of an organization. His skill set is what the NBA is.”

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