After having a “heated halftime discussion” with assistant coach John Lucas, Kevin Porter Jr. stormed out of the Toyota Center as his team ended up losing 124-111.
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It is no secret that Kevin Porter Jr. is not the most disciplined player in the league. No doubt, KPJ is an incredibly talented electric guard, however, his questionable behavior off-the-court is a matter of grave concern.
On Saturday night, the 21-year-old reportedly got into a “heated halftime argument” with Houston Rockets assistant coach John Lucas. Apparently, Lucas called out several players as his team gave away 47 2nd quarter points. And it clearly didn’t sit well with Porter Jr. After a point, the former USC Trojan got so angry, he started throwing objects and even needed to be separated from his assistant coach. This is when the southpaw drove out of the arena, calling it a night.
Assistant John Lucas called out Rockets players at halftime vs. the Nuggets, per @ShamsCharania
Kevin Porter Jr. reacted by throwing an object and leaving the arena, and then Christian Wood refused to sub into the game in the second half. pic.twitter.com/Udc74PEuBq
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 2, 2022
Also Read: NBA Twitter applauds the Bucks MVP for dropping 35/16/10 in the win over the Pels
Apart from KPJ’s inexcusable act, big man Christian Wood, who was benched after missing a mandatory COVID-19 testing window, refused to take on the court during the second half of the contest.
Kevin Porter Jr. was traded by the Cavaliers last January for his unacceptable locker-room antics
Kevin Porter Jr. had a similar locker-room outburst situation exactly a year back. And it resulted in him getting traded by Cleveland. Back in January 2021, the then-20-year-old for throwing a shocking tantrum. The Cavs had given Porter’s locker to Taurean Prince, and clearly, Kevin didn’t appreciate it. He began yelling and even throwing food items before getting into a physical altercation with GM Koby Altman.
As soon as the information on Kevin Porter Jr’s. midgame exit went viral on social media, NBA Twitter blew up with reactions.
Kevin Porter Jr when John Lucas tried to hold him accountable pic.twitter.com/1rB61LSy2Z
— rockets winning the title in 2025 (@RedNationBlogga) January 2, 2022
Kevin Porter Jr throwing off his jersey and leaving the arena like pic.twitter.com/E6xzKxIW4Z
— Austin (@AustinPlanet) January 2, 2022
Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. waiting for John Lucas outside the locker room after the game pic.twitter.com/9SKuHSnAUF
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) January 2, 2022
This is why Christian Wood bounced around the league and Kevin Porter Jr. dropped in the draft & was later cut by Cleveland.
Talent only gets players so far. Both have questionable character reputations. Unacceptable and unprofessional behavior. https://t.co/UpFW1Z6Cyq
— Billy Reinhardt (@BillyReinhardt) January 2, 2022
*Kevin Porter Jr. stormed out of Toyota Center after heated argument with coach*
Cavs: pic.twitter.com/mon0oQLteY
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) January 2, 2022
John Lucas and Kevin Porter Jr said pic.twitter.com/8bvgzACxjj
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) January 2, 2022
The Rockets are yet to make announcements regarding the issue. It is very unlikely that the franchise doesn’t penalize its guard for his unprofessional behavior.