Is Porter the next Harden?
Heat just hope NBA draft enigma from USC can be accountable
CHICAGO — Kevin Porter Jr. will get his chance Friday to tell the Miami Heat who he is and what he can be.
When it comes to offering an NBA comparison, the freshman guard out of Southern Cal does not lack for confidence.
“I get compared to James Harden a lot, being able to create off the dribble,” the 19-year-old said Thursday at the NBA Draft Combine.
“He’s a Hall of Famer in the making. So just being compared to one of those people that’s unguardable, a player that’s doing historic things, for seasons, is a blessing. I’m grateful. It’s a blessing.”
The talent has not been in question. The maturity, however, is another story, including a suspension during his lone season with the Trojans for what was listed as a “conduct issue.”
That had Porter answering questions Friday about more than basketball, to face far more significant scrutiny Friday from a Heat scouting contingent that includes Pat Riley, Andy Elisburg and Shane Battier.
“A lot of people say I’m like one of the most talented guys but they have a lot of red flags on my character,” the 6-foot-6 guard said. “And I’ve just been working on that, trying to improve off the court, prove that they can trust in me.”
The fact that he is meeting with the Heat, who draft at No. 13, in itself is telling.
“Before everything that happened, I was considered a top five, so I feel like I’m still a top five,” said Porter, whose interviews to this stage have included teams at the top of the first round (New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Atlanta), in the middle (Charlotte) and at the back end (Brooklyn, Milwaukee). “After this whole experience and everything, I feel like I’m going to be back to where I was supposed to be and what people expected me to be.
“I have a lot of room, a lot of growth. But I feel like with everything that happened, all the experiences I’ve been through all my life, I’ve been growing as a person.”
Then there is his game, which, while not quite yet Harden-esque, features many of the elements required in today’s wing-driven NBA.
“My versatility, being able to play the one, two, three, guard the one, two, three, it’s probably my best aspect,” he said.
“What I’ve been working in the predraft is my consistency. And that’s been a key factor this offseason, in the predraft experience and the workouts. So I feel like I’m good shooting the three. I’ve always been able to shoot. I’ve just been getting my reps in, trying to make it more consistent.”
Among those Porter has leaned on amid this transition are fellow Seattle-based players Jamal Crawford, Zach LaVine, Isaiah Thomas and Nate Robinson, as well as former Southern Cal guard DeMar DeRozan.
But he also appreciates, less than two weeks removed from his 19th birthday that it’s now all about creating an identity of his own, as he also attempts to distance himself from a reputation that has left him scrimmaging at the combine, unable to bypass the event like the draft elite he once considered himself.
“I feel like people go through things,” he said. “Me, being my age, I was very immature and I matured from that and I feel like it was something I needed and I don’t regret it at all. It was definitely an experience I needed, just a reality check of where I’m at as a person.”
Now it is about checking in with the Heat and other teams trying to define his place — as Porter attempts to do the same.
“They’re trying to get to know me,” he said. “A lot of opinions and everything that’s flowing, they just want to get to know me by who as I am as a person, my story.”