He made a comeback against the odds and got a starting opportunity with a minimum salary. He may be able to keep pace with Jaylen Green in 27 years.

For the NBA, a player selected at the end of the first round and a top-three pick in the first round will definitely have different treatment and opportunities in the team. Just like the Rockets, who decided to rebuild at the beginning of the 20-21 season, they acquired Kevin Porter Jr., a player given up by the Cavaliers in the middle of the season. Then in the 2021 draft, the Rockets acquired Jaylen Green. One is a gladiator who climbed up from the bottom, and the other is a former favorite, but now their situations are somewhat the same.

After Porter came to the Rockets, he experienced several games in the Development League. In his second game on behalf of the Rockets, he scored 27 points, 3 rebounds and 8 assists. In the first 5 games he played on behalf of the Rockets, he scored more than 20 points in 3 games and averaged 8 assists per game. In the game against the Bucks, Porter scored 50 points and 11 assists.

Many people said at the time that Porter Jr. was worthy of being cultivated by the Rockets as a core player. After all, based on his stability, if given the right to play football, averaging 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game was not a luxury. However, after playing well for half a season, the team welcomed second-place pick Jaylen Green. Of course, the management prefers the high-ranking rookies they choose, so starting from the 21-22 season, the franchise player with unlimited firing rights on the field has become Green.

Even so, Porter Jr., who started with Green, has steadily improved after stabilizing his own performance. In the 22-23 season, Porter Jr. averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. This earned him a five-year, more than $80 million contract. However, everyone knows what happened next. Due to off-court incidents, Porter Jr. was suppressed by the league and did not appear on the court in the 23-24 season.

Until the 24-25 season, Porter, who was "wandering" in Europe, finally returned to the NBA. The Los Angeles Clippers signed the former Rockets backcourt starter with a basic salary contract. In half a season, Porter averaged 19.6 minutes per game and was able to get 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1 steal. However, in the middle of the season, when the Clippers were adjusting their lineup, Porter was sent to the Bucks.

In the Bucks, Porter still maintained a stable performance. Even as a substitute player, he averaged 11.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals in less than 20 minutes per game. This also gave Porter a chance to get a contract. With his efficiency, it is actually very possible to get a contract with an annual salary of over 10 million US dollars. However, in the end, Porter returned to the Bucks with a 2-year contract worth 11 million US dollars. It can be seen that he wanted to play in the Bucks for another year, and then jump out of the player option and strive for a long-term fat contract.

On the other hand, the Rockets have trained Jaylen Green for four years. Although Green can average close to 20 points per game every season, it is always difficult to meet the coach's requirements in terms of defensive end and tactical execution. Especially after coach Uduka took office, he was forced to sit on the bench many times and it was difficult to appear.

In this summer, the Rockets traded Green + Dillon Brooks from the Suns for Durant. However, in the preseason, Jaylen Green did not play due to injury. However, the coach stated in an interview that he intends to let Green serve as the Suns' starting No. 1 position in the new season.

Coincidentally, Porter Jr., who performed well in the preseason, is also regarded by the coach as a popular candidate for the starting No. 1 position in the new season. In the 4 preseason games, Porter averaged 19 minutes per game. He was able to give 10.5 points, 2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 0.5 steals. His shooting percentage was as high as 57.1% and his three-point shooting percentage reached 60%. Such a hot state made him ahead of other Bucks defenders in the competition.

So in the new season, we are likely to see these two former Rockets backcourt partners return to the same starting line. Even with Porter's current state, he is likely to have a more efficient performance than Jaylen Green in the new season, thereby achieving a "comeback against the wind" show! Who do you think has better future prospects among these two former Rockets backcourt partners? Welcome to leave a message for discussion!