As signed in the offseason, Kevin Porter Jr. understood his duties on the LA Clippers' backup unit. They were missing a consistent, double-figure scorer, and he was that guy, based on what he depicted in his two seasons with the Houston Rockets. This high expectation was relayed because premiere sixth man Norman Powell had been shifted into the starting five.
Furthermore, Porter Jr. recorded all-star numbers with Houston. In his final season before playing overseas, he averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds, with a true shooting percentage of 56.5.
However, by the deadline, what head coach Tyronn Lue took from his game was that the type of shots Porter Jr. attempted, the passes he made, and the amount he dribbled was in a different stratosphere than what was called for.
February came, and as most envisioned, the Clippers found the Milwaukee Bucks, who were ready to exchange the former first-round pick, MarJon Beauchamp, for Porter Jr.
When the news touched social media, Clipper Nation was satisfied with the calls made from the front office.
Conversely, the narrative has flipped on Lue and the Clippers, as Porter Jr. dominates and wins games for the four-seeded Bucks in a comparable role.
The LA Clippers' system is in the wrong for their utilization of Kevin Porter Jr.
On the LA Clippers, Kevin Porter Jr. underperformed to a grade where fans believed he was not fit to win. He was too inefficient and counterproductive for the Clippers' bench to top the charts.
In 45 games, Porter Jr. posted 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, with a field goal percentage of 42.3, three-point percentage of 24.5, and free-throw percentage of 64.5.
Moreover, Porter Jr. needed just two games with the Bucks to reveal LA's mistake. In his fourth contest with Milwaukee, he faced the Clippers and had quite the revenge game, scoring 13 points in 15 minutes and winning.
Overall, his points, rebounds, and assists numbers are nearly identical to the Bucks. The difference lies in efficiency, as Porter Jr. is shooting over 50% from the field in 10 games. He also stamped a triple-double over Dallas in their latest 30-point win.
That said, if Porter Jr. maintains control of Milwaukee's bench, Tyronn Lue and the Clippers must examine their system's flaws. His playstyle was clearly not the issue, as he is helping the Bucks stay in the top four of the Eastern Conference.