Cavs rookie Craig Porter Jr. to make first career NBA start Wednesday night, sources say

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Craig Porter Jr.’s incredible story will add a new chapter on Wednesday night.

Thanks to his standout play recently and the Cavs being shorthanded once again, Porter will make his first career NBA start when the Cavs host Miami, sources tell cleveland.com.

Do-it-all forward Dean Wade started the previous four games, three of which came in Donovan Mitchell’s absence, but with Wade unavailable Wednesday night because of an ankle sprain suffered in Tuesday’s 122-119 overtime win in Philadelphia, coach J.B. Bickerstaff will be forced to shuffle his lineup - again.

Porter will join usual starters Darius Garland, Max Strus, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, sources say.

Bickerstaff spoke recently about wanting to get an extended look at the Garland-Porter backcourt, trying to determine whether the pairing is a viable option. It would be one creative way for Bickerstaff to keep Porter in the rotation when the Cavs return to full strength. Wednesday will give him the longest look yet.

Porter tallied 12 points and a team-high nine assists against Philly on Tuesday night. It was his third straight game scoring in double figures.

“It’s a maturity to him, but what I love watching is, national television, hits the go-ahead layup over the top of (Joel) Embiid, and his facial expression never changed,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s a guy who has confidence and an inner-belief in himself that he belongs. Every single day and every minute that he participates he proves to not only us, but everybody around this league, that he belongs here. He’s a really mature kid who knows who he is and just knows he can impact the game.”

Mitchell will miss his fourth consecutive game due to a hamstring strain. Isaac Okoro (knee soreness) and Ty Jerome (ankle sprain) have also been ruled out.

Sources say the plan is for reserve swingman Caris LeVert to make his return from a two-game absence, barring a setback in pregame warmups. LeVert tested his achy knee in a Wednesday afternoon workout, and he was given the green light. LeVert will play on a minute restriction and act as the de facto second unit point guard, sources say.

For the Heat, starting center Bam Adebayo has been ruled out with a sore hip.