Kenny Atkinson Says Cavaliers Will Use Craig Porter Jr. ‘Better Than We Ever Have’

Craig Porter Jr. led the Cleveland Cavaliers with 5.6 assists per game through their three preseason games, and Kenny Atkinson said after Friday's practice that Porter has impressed him enough to look like a rotation player.

Porter had 10 assists in 16 minutes of the preseason opener, a 124-113 loss to the Boston Celtics on Oct. 8. He added 5 points on 2-of-3 shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block.

Cleveland finished the exhibition schedule 1-2.

He entered training camp in a competition with Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas for the backup point guard minutes Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis left behind, a battle Atkinson called "on" in September.

Proctor was the 49th pick in 2025 out of Duke. Thomas went 34th in June out of Arkansas after Cleveland traded down from 29th, then made the All-Summer League First Team after averaging 27.3 points over four games in Las Vegas.

In NBA.com's general manager survey, published Thursday, Thomas tied for second as the rookie who was the biggest steal at his draft slot.

Atkinson's view of Porter changed at some point, and he cannot say exactly when.

"Our relationship has grown," Atkinson said. "My understanding of his game, and I think it was helped by maybe even Koby and Weems and Gansey, just trying to explain to me what type of player he is and who he is. And before he got here, he won games. And our staff just, like, pushing me, like, 'Man, this guy's got a lot of unique characteristics.' And I just, I don't know when it switched, but I'm like, man, I'm going to embrace this."

"I would say this," Atkinson continued. "I think he's impressed in preseason, where you're like, man, this guy is going to be in the rotation. He's going to help us win games, and I think we're going to use him better than we ever have before."

Koby Altman is Cleveland's president of basketball operations. Brandon Weems was promoted to general manager on Sept. 18, replacing Mike Gansey, who left in May to become president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Porter went undrafted out of Wichita State in 2023 and signed with Cleveland.

He appeared in 51 games in each of his first two seasons, averaging 5.6 points as a rookie and 3.7 in his second year, which was Atkinson's first in Cleveland.

Last season, he appeared in a career-high 64 games and started three. He averaged 4.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 0.9 steals in 17.9 minutes while shooting 45.0% from the field and 35.5% from 3-point range.

He handed out 12 assists twice in February, at Portland on Feb. 1 and at Detroit on Feb. 27.

Porter started the regular-season finale against Washington on April 12. He appeared in seven of Cleveland's 18 playoff games and averaged 3.0 minutes.

The Cavaliers exercised Porter's $2,406,205 team option for 2026-27 in June.

His salary becomes fully guaranteed Jan. 10, 2027. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Porter turns 27 in February.

Cleveland opens the regular season Thursday, Oct. 22, at Philadelphia at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The home opener against the Brooklyn Nets follows Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Rocket Arena.