The Toilsome Task of Replacing Kevin Porter Jr

The Cavs drafted Kevin Porter Jr knowing that he had issues. For a length of time during his single season at USC, he was mysteriously suspended due to un-mentioned off-the-court concerns. After a rookie season, in which the character problems seemed to be nowhere-to-be-found, it felt like KPJ was able to right the ship with himself. Koby Altman bet on the Cleveland Cavaliers' blossoming culture and locker room to support Porter and give him structure as he made the transition to the pros.

Then, the summer came. The Cavs along with 7 other teams were left out of the bubble, and for an extended period of time, were away from the game of basketball. This is when the 20-year-old's life began to spiral out of control. From suicidal social media posts to multiple allegations to outbursts caught on video, the severity of his off-the-court issues began to come to light.

However, Cleveland was committed to him. Not only because they realized his potential to be a future cornerstone for the team, maybe even THE cornerstone, but also because they saw potential in him as a person. As Koby Altman stated in the team's press release following the trade: "[Kevin] at his core, is a good person."

Prior to the season, JB Bickerstaff coined a phrase: "We're in the human being business." JB's job is to develop the team as basketball players, but he throws an extra burden upon himself to develop his guys as people, as well. The results have backed him up. The players love him. They enjoy each other. They play hard. They're buying in. Internally, the Cavs are probably the best they've ever been in the 21st century.

The Cavs concocted a plan to slowly integrate Kevin Porter Jr back into Cavaliers basketball, with a priority on making sure he was where he needed to be mentally. It took a long time. The updates on his status were extremely vague and minimal, but finally on December 18th, there was the first visible indication that things were heading in the right direction. KPJ was inactive for the team's home game against the Knicks, but he was on the bench with his teammates, cheering them on, participating in huddles, and looked to be having the time of his life as the Cavs went on to take a 3-pt victory.

Things were good. Until they weren't. After the game, KPJ went to the locker room with his teammates to realize his locker was relocated. Instead, Taurean Prince, a new addition, occupied the space. The Cavs had a few reasons for why it was moved, but ultimately no one told Kevin about it and the wrong message came across. He confronted both Koby Altman and JB Bickerstaff. Food was thrown. And the last straw snapped. His time with the Cavaliers was over.

Instantly, the Cavs rebuild took a drastic step-back. KPJ possessed the highest ceiling on the team. He is a member of the rarest and most valuable archetype in the NBA. A do-it-all wing. Porter can legitimately play and defend the 1-3. His arsenal of offensive moves is seemingly endless. He can switch gears and decelerate with the best of them. He wasn't a weakness defensively, you could even argue that he was a plus on that end. For all of the scoring ability he has, he was blossoming as a playmaker and distributor for others.

The Cavs' young core lost a member, perhaps its' most important one, and it can't be ignored. Yes, Darius Garland and Collin Sexton are still here. Both are very talented, and there are a multitude of reasons to be excited about the future of Sexland, but they make things complicated.

This team doesn't make sense without a 3rd creator. Cleveland only has 2 ball-handlers on the team who can make stuff happen. Obviously, both guards are small. Both are below-average defenders. Their minutes are and will continue to be heavily staggered out of a multitude of necessities. Having them share the floor often is untenable defensively, despite Bickerstaff's best efforts to mask their deficiencies on that side of the floor. Secondly, the Cavs just don't have ball-handlers if neither one of them are on the floor.

Damyean Dotson, Cedi Osman, Larry Nance Jr, and Andre Drummond have all tried their part in attempting to be an offensive engine for the Cavaliers, but it's blown up in their faces in a blaze of flames. The Cavs have one of the worst offenses in the league this season, if not, THE worst. With only one of Sexland on the floor, teams have had little trouble locking down the offense. They've keyed in on stopping either Sexton and Garland, while the rest of the team struggles to make anything happen.

There are players in the league who are able to score in bunches at the flip of a switch. Doesn't matter who you put on them. Doesn't matter how many guys you put on them. Collin Sexton had that moment against the Brooklyn Nets not long ago, but that's not him. Garland and Sexton score within the rhythm of the offense. They'll sprinkle a few points here and there in each quarter, then you look at the box score after the game and realize that they had 20+ points.

That doesn't work so much when they're the only players capable of making the rhythm of the offense. The Cavs are trying to mimic Portland with their backcourt, and it's really gone just about as good as you could've hoped. But even the best-case scenario might not be good enough. More than likely, Cleveland has 2 CJ McCollum's, rather than a Dame and a CJ. If even the Blazers' backcourt hasn't been able to get the job done, neither will the Cavaliers'.

This doesn't have to be an immediate fix, but it is a pressing issue. The NBA is a league where the more playmakers you have, the better you'll be, so long as they can play on the floor together. The Cavs are competitive right now, and they're a fun team to watch, so I'm not complaining about the direction the rebuild is heading, but this upcoming offseason will be critical for the franchise.

The precedent has been set for the team following their hot start to the season. Starting next season, this team will have expectations. Consolidation of players is likely incoming at some point. To me, finding a way to replace Kevin Porter Jr is the final missing piece to this young core. Easier said than done. Finding a legitimate 3rd creator who can fit alongside Sexland is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

With that, in Koby Altman we trust. And if anybody knows him, tell him that I recommend Josh Christopher.