Cleveland Cavaliers: Craig Porter Jr. — I WANT TO BE DONOVAN MITCHELL, DARIUS GARLAND This Summer

Cleveland Cavaliers: Craig Porter Jr. — I WANT TO BE DONOVAN MITCHELL, DARIUS GARLAND This Summer

Craig, how are you approaching this opportunity at summer league? Um, you know, I understand what’s um at stake and everything as far as all the opportunities I have to obviously get better as a player. Um, understand what my role could be next year with the new additions with people we lost and everything. So, I’m just approaching it as I’m the Darius or Donovan Mitchell of this team. I have to be the vocal leader, the one who leads on and off the court and just overall just carry the load for everyone. I mean, ra whether it be scoring or doing everything in the in the games or just everything in practice, helping guys understand everything. So, I’m just taking that type of approach. Is that a role that you feel like you’re ready for? Uh, yeah, I do feel like I’m ready for it. Uh, I’ve always been kind of a behind-the-scenes quieter guy and I fill into a role a little different, but uh I feel like this has been a good challenge for me and it’s something I’m going to need to do in order to be in these positions and fill these spots, especially if I want to be in this playoffs any team. with the potential bigger role next season, where do you think your game needs to grow to get to that point? Uh, again, I feel like it’s just that vocal leadership and just understanding how to run a team, get guys in spots, and just pick just different spots and just different ways to play, and just understanding who I’m on the court with and how they like to play or just figuring out different little things. At your position specifically, how important is football leadership? Uh, it’s very important. I mean, as long as I can control the game, especially being at my size, just just being able to do the little things on the court, I feel like that’s what helps teams win and just keeps the overall chemistry of a team just going. What lessons would you share with Tyrese about what you’ve learned from being in the league for a couple years? Um, some of the biggest things I’ve just explained to him so far is you don’t have to worry about trying to be that main guy. Sometimes you have to just figure out what you’re going to be good at or what your team may need that you’re on. And with this team, I mean, I told him, I’m like, we have almost everything we would need. So, it’s going to honestly be just about you figuring out and owning and honing in on whatever it is you are good at. And I know he’s a really good shooter and a good defender. So, I told him just those two things are definitely going to get you on the court. Just focus in on them, make them your your main priority, and it’ll work out for you. What have you learned about patience these last couple years? Patience is honestly, it’s my my whole life story. I mean, from college, high school, every everything is all about patience. Just because some things might not go your way. You might not get the opportunities you want at the time you want them. But, uh, I feel like in life, everything just comes around at the right time when it should be. And if you miss your opportunity, it may not come back, but you just have to be ready for it. What did you learn about yourself after the first two seasons in the NBA? And how do you feel like that’s prepared you to be ready for your third season? Um, I feel like for a while I approached it as just a sport. um you know through college and everything and after a while I realized it’s more than just a sport. It’s a way of living a a way of life honestly just as far as competing and I mean realistically it’s a job. You have to take another man’s job to be able to stay in this league and I mean it’s it’s not much bigger than that and it’s it’s important. You talked a little bit about the pressure of the opportunity that’s been placed in front of you. How do you keep taking that and understanding where you are but not making that the entire moment? um you just understand the position you’re in and realize that you’re one of the people in the NBA and trying to chase your dream and that’s the big focus, you know, understanding what you want in your life and what you want out of this and everything you do put in is what you’re going to get out. So, I feel like maintaining that focus and having a good mindset is is very big and I don’t think it’s looked at enough. What do you want out of this? Uh I want to be that guy, you I want to be how people look at Darius Garland when the fourth quarter comes around and you need somebody to get your team going or rally around this guy and you know or even just be any any type of competitor at the highest level and just be able to be on those winning teams and be the guy they talk about like hey he makes those little plays or hey he does this to help the team win. You mentioned approaching it like a sport versus maybe approaching it differently now. What exactly did you have to change to change that approach? Um, I feel like just my overall seriousness and just work ethic and understanding that everybody once you get to this level can do everything you do, whether they’re shorter, taller, bigger, or smaller, and just understanding that you need to figure out what you’re good at and just just completely master it and just try to figure out ways to interpret it into a basketball team. What made that click for you? Um, I feel like just understanding who’s around me and understanding myself before anything, understanding what I was good at and just just seeing and understanding that feedback sometimes is a little different than, you know, taking feedback is is sometimes important on how you interpret it. Um, sometimes people will take it as negative, but sometimes you got to look at it from somebody else’s perspective. It may not be the same way you look at yourself. I know you and Jaylen are kind of the summer league vets in a way, but what are what are you guys working looking to work on? uh maybe together uh when you’re out there. Uh it’s kind of that same thing I was saying. Um you know, just trying to figure out how we can lead this group and then interpret it into our own way of figuring out our what our role could be with the actual Cavs team. And um you know, just just being a more of a man. I feel like um it might sound a little weird to say, but it’s just just taking the next step. And it sounds says said easier than it is done. Um, but you know, just just making sure you know what it is that the people around you want and just making sure you do those at your full effort and giving your full ability. What is what does it mean just to have that trust from the organization to be that guy that’s leading the charge? Um, it’s big, you know, it it just shows that they believe in you and uh the things you do and your talents and it makes you just want to just go out there and show them that they’re not wrong for believing in you and giving you the opportunity. whether it’s been these offseason workouts um or these practices ahead of summer league, what have you seen from Jaylen? Um I mean just overall his his work ethic and uh just his willingness to be open to feedback like I was saying and uh he doesn’t take it in a bad light. Like he might do the same mistake over for a week straight and he’s still working at it. He still or whatever, you know, and and he’s a kid that you can tell him things and like like I said, he won’t get frustrated. He’ll just understand it and try his best to learn at

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter Jr. meets with the media after NBA Summer League practice. He spoke on the leadership role he wants to play going into his third stint, what it means to have trust from the organization and how he will be auditioning for an every day rotational role with the big club.
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Welcome to Cavs On SI! We are associated with the On SI network through the Sports Illustrated Media Group. We’ll cover all of the latest Cleveland Cavaliers news and share our opinions and analysis with live streams and postgame reactions throughout this season.

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more coverage of the Cavaliers, and be sure to follow our comprehensive Cavs coverage through the On SI network here:

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