Otto Porter Has Golden Opportunity with Wing-Depleted Washington Wizards
This is exactly what Otto Porter Jr. needed.
After a letdown rookie year, he's been presented with a golden bounce-back opportunity in Washington. Trevor Ariza is gone. Bradley Beal could be out two months with an injury. Martell Webster is coming off major back surgery. Glen Rice Jr. just sprained his ankle.
There's only so much weight the Wizards can lean on 36-year-old Paul Pierce.
Whether he deserves the title or not, Porter has suddenly become an X-factor for one of the more competitive teams in the Eastern Conference.
The good news for Porter is he's entering the season healthy and not trying to play catchup. Last year, Porter missed most of NBA Summer League, all of the preseason and the team's first 18 games.
With Ariza playing the way he was and the Wizards battling for playoff position, Porter never really had a chance.
He was also looking at a significant role adjustment, having been the centerpiece of a strong Georgetown rotation (24.09 usage rate in 2012-13) before entering Washington's lineup as a fifth option (15.3 usage rate in 2013-14).
Porter was ultimately thrust into the lineup cold, midseason, after spending the last two years in college. That's like jumping into a conversation spoken in a different language mid-discussion.
But Porter appears to be a little more prepared heading into his sophomore year with the Wizards. He's coming off a tremendous Las Vegas Summer League where he averaged 19 points on 48.4 percent shooting. And he's looked sharp in preseason so far, having scored at least 12 points and shot at least 53 percent in four of five games.
"He's night and day," teammate Kevin Seraphin told WSNWashington.com's Ben Standig. "I told him that yesterday. I'm proud of him. He's really stepped up right now. He's more confident in everything. I love his game."
“I do feel like I’m back to myself, where I was before I got drafted,” Porter said via Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. “(I’m) mentally prepared, physically prepared.”
He's even knocking down threes, something he'll need to do in order to justify regular minutes, not just with the Wizards, but as a pro in general. Porter was just 4-of-21 from downtown last year—between Vegas and preseason this summer and fall, he's 11-of-27.
Given all of Washington's injuries on the wing, along with its overall lack of offensive depth, Porter isn't just a body filling in—he's going to be put in a position that asks him to generate offense, whether it's as a playmaker, scorer or finisher.
It's the ideal chance for Porter to showcase his versatility, arguably his most attractive quality out of college. At 6'8", he's got excellent size for a wing who can handle the ball and separate into mid-range jumpers.
With John Wall on the floor, Porter will be able to play a bit more to strengths, which center around his ability to make plays off the ball as a cutter, shot-maker and offensive rebounder.
Where Porter really must improve, other than shooting, is as a driver getting to the hoop. According to NBA.com, Porter didn't score one basket off a drive, or a take from 20 feet out that resulted in a bucket within 10 feet of the rim, in 2013-14.
Just by being on the floor longer with fewer weapons in the lineup, Porter is going to see more opportunities to attack one-on-one.
Castillo noted that Porter had spent the summer working on offense and "emphasized creating separation, shooting, attacking the rim, and ball-handling."
The bar will naturally get higher for Porter heading into his second year in the league, regardless of what happened last season. And it should—Porter was the No. 3 pick in 2013, with part of his appeal having stemmed from his maturity and perceived NBA-readiness.
Having gotten a season under his belt and a little more comfortable in the offense, Porter looks poised for a breakout sophomore year in what's likely to be a regular role for a surging franchise.
“I do feel that way, now that I’m healthy,” Porter told Castillo when asked if he's improved over the past few months. “Also, I learned so much last year. And now that I’ve seen it and learned from it, now I can attack. My goal is to be very aggressive—ultra-aggressive—and having fun.”
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
