Kevin Porter Jr. had a historic night this week when he notched the first triple-double of his career. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Porter notched 11 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. But after 24 hours, that history was erased by the NBA on a mere technicality.
During the final minute of the game, Houston Rockets players left a rebound and yelled at Kevin Porter Jr. to come and pick up the ball to notch his 10th rebound. But the NBA reviewed the rebound, and awarded it to Rockets’ player Alperen Sengun, as he got a ‘controlled tip’.
After review, league confirms Kevin Porter Jr's 10th rebound last night — with ~1:00 left to clinch Porter's triple-double — will instead be credited to Alperen Sengun as a controlled tip. Sengun + teammates were trying to help Porter get the triple-double.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) December 1, 2021
This would be a significant blow to Porter Jr.’s morale, given that it was the first triple-double of his career, but was taken away by the league for a technical reason. Perhaps Porter Jr. could use this as motivation to take his performances to another level in the coming weeks.
Over the last two seasons, Porter Jr. has stepped up his game. He has been able to improve and develop and has become a reliable young starter for the Rockets. Perhaps this has been aided by the fact that the Houston Rockets are very clearly a team in rebuild mode.
He, along with Rockets’ rookie Jalen Green, is expected to be the young core of the Rockets as they look to get back into championship contention over the next few years. Given their young age, this development will take time, but they have shown glimpses of being superstars in the NBA.
Because of the low expectations for the Rockets, Porter Jr. can take his development game-by-game, and slowly continue to improve and become a better player at his own pace. In the years to come, there will be hope that Porter Jr. will be able to develop into a star in the league.
