With the Cavaliers boxed in by a series of moves that left them hard-capped at the first apron and with almost no flexibility left, they look set to roll into the season with the roster largely unchanged. That puts a spotlight on the backup point guard spot, where Cleveland has already moved on from Dennis Schröder and will need younger options to help fill the void behind the star guard duo of James Harden & Donovan Mitchell.
Among the internal candidates, Craig Porter Jr. looks like the clearest player with a chance to claim that job. The fourth-year guard is headed into a season that could go a long way toward shaping his future with the team, especially after a 2025-26 campaign in which he averaged 4.5 Points, 3.4 Rebounds, and 3.2 Assists while shooting about 45.0% from the field in 17.9 minutes per game.
Porter brings a little bit of everything. He defends, rebounds, passes, and can get to some midrange comfort spots.
In terms of all-around guard value, he may be the most versatile option on the roster. The problem is the one area every modern guard has to answer for: the three-point line.
The numbers say he can make shots from deep. Porter is a career 37.7% shooter from distance and has hit at least 35.0% in each of his first three seasons, including a 2024-25 season when he shot 43.8%.
The issue is not accuracy so much as willingness and volume. Through his first three professional seasons, he has averaged just 1.1 triples per game, and even last season’s 1.5 attempts per game only counted as a career high.
That lack of volume leaves him looking hesitant beyond the arc. He has taken more pull-up threes than catch-and-shoot looks, with 106 pull-up triples across three pro seasons.
More attempts would help his offensive value, especially by adding to his on-ball gravity, where he landed in the 66th percentile last season. Still, the bigger concern is what happens when he’s not the one handling the ball.
Porter has to become more useful without it. In 166 career appearances, he has attempted only 68 catch-and-shoot threes, making 26 of them for 38.2%.
Again, the efficiency is fine. The volume is the problem.
He ranked in the 63rd percentile in off-ball gravity in 2025-26 and has shown enough movement to matter as a cutter, scoring 1.4 Points Per Possession in that role, which placed him in the 72nd percentile. But he needs to be more willing to let those chances fly.
There is plenty else to like. His 1.55 assist-to-usage ratio last season ranked in the 97th percentile, a strong sign that he can create for teammates without overcomplicating possessions.
He also attacked off the dribble enough to matter, finishing fifth on the team with 4.2 drives per game while posting a 6.7% turnover rate on drives, the lowest mark among Cleveland’s drive-heavy guards. On those possessions, he also generated a 13% assist rate.
The defensive profile is part of the appeal too. Porter has shown he can disrupt passing lanes, where he graded in the 91st percentile, and he handles screens well whether he’s on the ball or chasing away from it. He also offers real shot-blocking for his size, with a 1.8% BLK rate.
Still, the message for Porter is simple: he has to come out more aggressive in 2026-27 if he wants the role. If he doesn’t, Cleveland may have no choice but to move on by the deadline, since he represents some of the little flexibility the team still has left. Time will tell whether he can pull away from the pack.
In Other News...
Cavs Just Changed The Pressure On One Core Player
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Jarrett Allen suddenly sits in a different kind of spotlight because of it. If Clevelands season does not go the way it hopes, the center is viewed as one of the most likely trade candidates, alongside Sam Merrill, which means the Cavaliers have not only altered their financial position but also clarified where the pressure could land if things turn sideways. It is the kind of quiet roster shift that can sit in the background now and become a very loud conversation later. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Love's Next Team Could Say A Lot About His Final Chapter
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Loves next move could end up shaping how the final stretch of his career is remembered, especially if he is willing to embrace a reduced role. For now, there is no official signing, only the sense that his decision will say something about what he values most in this final chapter, whether that is contention, comfort or one more meaningful chance to matter in a different way. [Read more 🡒]
Donovan Mitchell Sees One Big Reason The Cavaliers Could Break Through
Donovan Mitchells latest stop on the Cousins podcast came with the kind of optimism the Cavaliers have been waiting to hear from their franchise guard. Fresh off signing a four-year contract extension, Mitchell pointed to what could make this season feel different in Cleveland: a roster that looks better suited around him and a group that has spent more time together, two ingredients he believes matter when a team is trying to move from good to genuinely dangerous.
Mitchell also singled out the additions of James Harden and Peyton Watson as moves that could take some pressure off his offensive load, a meaningful detail for a team that has often leaned heavily on his scoring. The larger theme from his conversation was continuity, and whether Cleveland can finally turn familiarity into the kind of growth that shows up deep into the season, when the best teams usually separate themselves. [Read more 🡒]