How Lonzo Ball, Craig Porter Jr. are making Cavs’ life ‘easier’

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How Lonzo Ball, Craig Porter Jr. are making Cavs’ life ‘easier’

Spencer Davies, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Wed, Nov 19, 2025 ·

4 min read

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The post How Lonzo Ball, Craig Porter Jr. are making Cavs' life 'easier' appeared first on ClutchPoints .

The Cleveland Cavaliers have terrorized opponents when Craig Porter Jr. has been on the floor in the first month of the season, but when he's tagging with Lonzo Ball , that pressure ratchets up. In their 100 minutes of combined floor time, the Cavs have turned over 19.4% of their opponents' possessions, a figure that ranks in the 98th percentile among two-man lineups, per Cleaning the Glass.

"He's just a super smart player," Porter said following Monday night's win over the Milwaukee Bucks . "He just figures out ways to just disrupt people and just do different things all over the court. Sometimes you look at it, and you're like a little confused at first, but it works over and over. It's interesting, and it's definitely helped me just to understand different parts of the game."

While Porter is the catalyst with his consistent full-court pressure, Ball's technique on the ball is precise and bothersome to handlers. Each affects the game in his own way, and both come away with boards better than any guard on the team.

"He's just finding his niches, man," Ball said on Nov. 3. "He's super athletic for the size that he is. That's how he's getting those rebounds. It fits perfectly, especially when he's coming over. And offensive rebounds, he's gotten at least one a game, I think, that he's skying over. And then obviously on defense, we know how great he is. So CP's huge for this team."

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson pointed to Porter's rim pressure on Monday, which has stood out for a team that has struggled to get to the cup. On Monday, his stepback three to extend Cleveland's lead was a big moment, but none was bigger than his fastbreak poster over Bucks guard Ryan Rollins .

"I don't think that happens last year," Atkinson said. "I'm so happy for the kid because he really has made a lot of sacrifices this offseason, and it's great to see it paying off… He's got so much pop out there. He made a commitment to his body and getting in — not good shape, great shape — elite shape. He's in elite shape right now."

Add Donovan Mitchell to the Porter-Ball duo, and the results have been even more astounding. Usually paired with Dean Wade and Jarrett Allen , the three guards boast a plus-31.9 net rating in 94 possessions with a 63.9% effective field goal percentage and 21.5% turnover rate.

"I think being around Zo is just going to help CP, naturally," Mitchell said. "Just by watching what he does, by being out there with him, he's going to put CP in great spots. Defensively, CP is learning how to be in the gaps more, using his athleticism, right? You're seeing Zo, who's really talented at doing that. You're learning just from watching, from being out there. Little techniques, little different things.

"And that's what you want from a guy like Zo. That's what we need, for him to come in here and be like, 'Hey, this is what I see, this is what I can do,' and lead by example."

Porter notes that the lineups he and Ball have played with have made them want to be even more aggressive, and that everybody complements each other.

Mitchell agrees, saying that his and the Cavs' lives are made easier with both out there.

"You don't have to overcoach," Mitchell said. "You can kind of let Zo go out there and kind of ring lead. I think he's taken that over on both ends of the floor. I think Dean has always been that security blanket for us defensively, rebounding, cutting, different things. We can switch. We can be in coverage if we need to.

"There's a level of aggression, and you don't have to think as much. Guys got your back. Guys are thinking the game the right way. And then, you see what happens on the break. Zo's pushing it, allowing us to run, and making plays and making the game easy for everybody."

Clearly, the Cavs are best off with a point guard running the show in the absence of Garland. Luckily for them, they have two in Porter and Ball that they can send out at the same time to provide a spark on each end of the floor.

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