Washington Wizards’ Otto Porter Is Entering Most Important Season of Career

Washington Wizards forward, Otto Porter, is entering what could be the most important season of his career

Nowadays in the NBA, you don’t have to be a household name to get paid like one. The salary cap, believe it or not, is expected to rise once again next summer and players are going to get historically paid.

The Washington Wizards were one of the many teams that fell victim to the booming cap this off-season.

Since the front office didn’t entertain any trades involving Bradley Beal, the team was essentially forced to pay him $130 million.

If they weren’t going to pay the 22-year-old, someone else was going to. They cornered themselves and now have to pray to the injury gods, hoping that he can finally stay on the court.

Next summer, the Wizards could find themselves in a similar situation with Otto Porter, who’s entering a contract season this year.

Just a couple of years ago, people were campaigning for Porter to get some playing time off the bench. Now the former Hoya is a part of the core and has solidified his role as the Wizards’ starting small forward.

But unlike Beal, Porter doesn’t possess the upside to justify such a large contract unless he can prove himself on the court.

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That’s why this upcoming season will be the most important one of Porter’s career thus far (and maybe ever).

One of the primary reasons the Wizards hired Scott Brooks was for his track record in developing players, and Porter will be one of the coach’s projects.

After not playing much during his first two years in D.C., Porter played in 75 games this past season, getting over 30 minutes of action per contest.

He put up a career-high 12 points and just over 5 rebounds per game on 47 percent shooting from the field.

Porter was the youngest of just 16 players in the NBA to average 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 three and 1.5 assists per game (h/t r/Wizards).

With Randy Wittman not having any other veteran option to rely on, he had no choice but to play Porter, and what resulted was the best season of his career.

In 2017, Porter is going to be asked to do even more under Brooks, who values the skill-set he brings to the table.

Porter’s productivity can often fly under the radar because he knows his role and never does anything out of character. He’s often the quiet assassin. But there’s also a downside to that for Porter.

When he isn’t engaged like he should be, Porter tends to disappear, leaving no positive impact on the floor. His invisible act occurred way too often last season and that’s the major part of his game that Brooks should look to correct.

Washington has to figure out what kind of player Porter is going to be: a solid wing or someone they could build with for the future.

In many ways, Porter is a jack of all trades, but master of none. He made an exceptional 47 percent of his shots, even though he knocked down less than 37 percent of his threes.

Despite his fragile frame, Porter was able to finish over 67 percent of his shots at the basket. Kent Bazemore, who has a similar frame and skill-set, made 59 percent of his shots at the rim.

Porter’s ability to finish in the paint has been outstanding, but he’s going to need to become equally as good from the perimeter in order to reach his full potential.

John Wall has been known to get his teammates – specifically the ones that can knock down shots from three – paid.

Trevor Ariza, Jared Dudley and Martell Webster all received the biggest contracts of their careers after playing with Wall. It’s not a coincidence that all three players are known for their outside shooting. Porter could be the next man up to bat.

Before the All-Star break last year, Porter made a putrid 31.7 percent of his threes. During the second half of the season, he made close to 45 percent of his shots from deep.

If Porter can make close to 40 percent of his shots from three next season, he should see his points total rise. But, again, he needs to actually take those shots and not play timid basketball.

He attempted less than four threes per game last season. In his final year with the Washington Wizards, Ariza took just under six threes per game. Porter should aim to reach at least that total this upcoming season.

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In 2016-17, Porter will have the opportunity to become known to the rest of the league. He has a coach that believes in his abilities, and he’s entering a contract year. The money is there too. It’s on Porter to snatch it up with improved performance.