A G League MVP Candidate Just Made NBA History
Less than two months removed from the G League bubble, Kevin Porter Jr. just turned up with a historic NBA performance.
Just two months ago, Kevin Porter Jr. was tearing up the G League. As an NBA assignee via the Rockets, the 20 year old took advantage of his time in the bubble to put the basketball world on notice and remind everyone of what could be.
After not seeing formal competition in nearly a year due to the pandemic, injuries, a switch in teams, and other off the court happenings, playing for the affiliated RGV Vipers was the perfect chance for Porter Jr. to get back into the swing of things and he didn’t disappoint. The young gun led the league in both points (24.1) and assists (7.2), rising up as the G League’s official runner-up for the MVP award. He garnered similar recognition over here as well.
There was always a plan for Porter Jr. to rejoin the Rockets and build off his minor league success at the next level. It’s just not everyday that a player goes on to drop 50 points in the NBA less than two months later.
Porter Jr. is a special talent who did just that on Thursday night, making it look way too easy in Houston’s win over the Bucks. Tallying 50 points on 9 daggers from long range to go along with 11 assists and 5 rebounds, one of this season’s prime G League MVP candidates just made NBA history in a number of ways, putting his fingerprints on a very memorable performance.
Just days before his 21st birthday, Porter Jr. is now the youngest player in NBA history to put up at least 50 points and 10 assists in a game. LeBron James previously held the record by doing so at 23 years old.
He’s the fourth youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game, behind Brandon Jennings, Devin Booker, and LeBron James.
Porter Jr. is just the fourth active G League alum to score 50 points, joining Fred VanVleet, Khris Middleton, and CJ McCollum.
The youngster joins James Harden (who did it 8 times) as the only Rockets to ever log at least 50 points and 10 assists in a game.
He’s the youngest player to score at least 50 points in a Rockets uniform.
Much like the 50 points, his 9 three-point field goals also represented a career-high mark.
Perhaps a historic outing like this wasn’t visualized so soon, but Porter Jr.’s talent was never in question. “He can do so many things. He has the ability to play with or without the ball and that means creating for his teammates or getting shots for himself,” RGV Vipers GM Travis Stockbridge said while the youngster was taking the G League by storm this season.
There’s no doubt Porter Jr. can score with ease. But would he have been so comfortable and/or enabled to do so, if not for his time in the G League earlier this season? With all their injuries and continued roster changes, the Rockets could have easily thrown the second-year guard into the fire. Instead, Porter Jr. was able to acclimate himself to the organization and its system. He familiarized himself with the playbook and offensive schemes, seeing real-time action in the minor league that likely proved to be more valuable than time spent watching from the sidelines. Now that his time has come, Porter Jr. is clearly prepared and much more well-equipped.
“We put that plan in place very early on,” Stockbridge said of Porter Jr.’s time with RGV. “We were proactive, and Kevin deserves credit for being so open.”
That plan, some patience, and time spent are all paying dividends for Porter Jr. and the Rockets. His prowess is suggesting there’s reason to be optimistic for the future.
If he can go from flirting with triple-doubles and garnering MVP consideration in the G League, to pouring in the points at the NBA level in such a short amount of time, imagine what’s next for the 20 year old.