Otto Porter Emerging as Washington Wizards' Biggest Playoff X-Factor
The Washington Wizards' postseason run has been full of pleasant surprises. Paul Pierce has taken an extended soak in the NBA's fountain of youth, John Wall's worked as a pick-and-roll clinician, and the team's defense ranks No. 2 overall in efficiency.
However, the evolution of 21-year-old swingman Otto Porter may trump them all.
After appearing in 37 games and playing six total postseason minutes during his rookie season due in part to a hip injury, Porter has burst on the scene as the missing perimeter piece Washington has so desperately needed—and the one it's just now learning it can't win without.
Five games into the Wizards' undefeated postseason journey, Porter is averaging 9.6 points, eight rebounds and a steal, while shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three. With Nene averaging an underwhelming 8.5 points and seven boards in the playoffs, that production off the bench has been revelatory.
| Regular Season | 19.4 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 45.0 | 33.7 | 11.6 |
| Playoffs | 32.4 | 9.6 | 8.0 | 54.3 | 46.7 | 14.9 |
"He’s getting confident," Pierce said during Round 1, according to ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk. "He’s growing. I think at the end of the year, he finally got the opportunity to play more minutes and his confidence has just been growing going into the playoffs.
"I am steadily trying to feed it every day in the game and practice. He has a lot of potential, man. He can be the X-factor for us, and he’s proving that right now in this series."
In fact, head coach Randy Wittman has been so pleased with Porter's impact that he's now playing 32.4 minutes per game—the same number as Marcin Gortat and more than Pierce or Nene.
For a player whose playing time resembled a roller coaster full of climbs and steep plunges during the regular season, that's stunning.
| November | 12 | 23.5 |
| December | 16 | 14.1 |
| January | 13 | 17.5 |
| February | 11 | 21.4 |
| March | 12 | 15.2 |
| April | 8 | 29.5 |
The limited scope of box-score stats can only reveal so much, though.
What makes Porter special is versatility, which has been a buzz word of sorts for the Wizards throughout the playoffs.
"What I like about Otto, and I kind of pride myself with this, as well, as a player is I'm going to find some way, somehow to impact the game," Drew Gooden said following the Wizards' 104-98 Game 1 win over the Atlanta Hawks, according to The Washington Post's Jorge Castillo.
"Whether it's defensively, or whatever that is. If I'm not shooting the ball, I’m going to rebound. And if I'm not getting any rebounds, I'm going to take a charge."
The reason Porter's been able to showcase his diverse skill set is because Wittman has deployed lineups that feature Pierce at the 4 and Porter flanking him at the 3. With Gortat, Wall and Bradley Beal beside them, Washington's small-ball alignment has shredded—and I mean shredded—postseason foes.
During that five's 41 minutes on the floor, Washington has outscored opponents by 25.9 points per 100 possessions.
Twenty-five point nine.
Yes, the sample size is small, and no that level of outrageous performance may not be sustainable over the long haul. But it is indicative of the damage Washington can inflict when it shifts Pierce to the 4, spaces the floor and doesn't sacrifice length or defensive prowess in his place on the wing.
And therein lies the beauty of Porter's presence.
He's a ball of energy who doesn't demand the rock to be effective, which has allowed Washington's primary offensive creators to work uninhibited. Through five games, Porter's a team-best plus-59 in the plus/minus column, nine points better than any other red, white and blue contributor.
The reason that number's burst through the roof, though, is because of his defense.
According to SportVU player-tracking data, opponents are shooting 13.4 percent worse than the league average against Porter in the postseason.
| 3-Pointer | 35.9 | 30.0 | -5.9% |
| 2-Pointer | 45.9 | 29.7 | -16.2% |
| Within 6 feet | 62.3 | 50.0 | -12.3% |
At a lanky 6'9'', Porter packs the length and foot speed necessary to disrupt shooters both inside and out. In 22 possessions as a defender on postseason ball-handlers, Porter has surrendered a minuscule 0.32 points per possession, per Synergy Sports (via NBA.com). That puts him in the 97th percentile, ahead of virtually every elite wing defender who's stepped on the floor since mid-April.
But even when Porter's not guarding ball-handlers, he can be found interjecting his never-ending limbs into passing and driving lanes. When Porter deflects passes, he's often forcing the opposition to recalibrate their offensive sets or creating transition opportunities moving the other way.
"I just always say, 'play hard, play hard, play hard.’ And then the aggression will come,” Porter said in early April, per Castillo. "My main focus when I’m out there is to just be involved in the play. Always have my hand on the ball some type of way. Always affect the play, always in the mix of everything. That’s what I try to do."
That nonstop motor may well pay dividends beyond this postseason, too.
"The most important thing to remember at this stage in Porter’s career is the fact that he’s just 21 years old and has shown foundational talent on both ends," NumberFire.com's Shae Cronin wrote.
As Porter plays a part in trying to push the Wizards back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the franchise was rebranded, perspective needs to be maintained. The Georgetown product's only now finding his footing and resembling a high lottery selection, which means brighter days assuredly lie ahead.
With more time and more development, Porter has proved he has the tools to become the long-term sidekick Wall and Beal will need on the perimeter. Since Pierce on his way out after next season, according to ESPNBoston.com's Jackie MacMullan, the opportunity exists for Porter to seamlessly slide into Washington's primary perimeter gig with a more refined ability to complement the team's stars.
And if this is all setting the stage for what's to come, the Wizards have to consider the postseason a rousing success regardless of the eventual outcome.
All statistics are current as of May 4 and courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
Alec Nathan covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @AlecBNathan.
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