The Washington Wizards Need To Focus On Developing Otto Porter, Not Kevin Durant
By Ben Mehic
The #FreeOtto movement has been strong since the beginning of the season. With Trevor Ariza gone and Martell Webster coming off his third back surgery, most people believed that Porter would finally get a chance to play along side John Wall and Bradley Beal. Fastforward about a year, and Porter hasn’t been utilized very often this season.
While the addition of Paul Pierce should’ve cut Porter’s potential playing time, Porter has been in and out of Randy Wittman‘s rotation throughout the entire season. Rasual Butler’s ridiculous shooting to start the season pushed Porter out of the lineup, and once Webster finally made his return, Porter began racking up DNP-CDs.
Even though Butler’s shooting inevitably regressed to the mean and Webster began playing like a player coming off his third back surgery, Wittman continued to stick with his veteran players. He’s been criticized for his stubbornness in the past, but that trait hasn’t hurt anyone more than Porter this season.
Over the past several games, though, Otto Porter was finally given a chance to play.
After a few miserable performances from Butler and Webster, Wittman finally opted to give Porter a chance against the Houston Rockets on Sunday afternoon. Otto Porter scored 15 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in just 17 minutes of action. He led Washington on a run and they eventually cut a double-digit deficit to just four late in the fourth quarter. Wittman spoke about Porter’s performance after the close loss to Houston:
"€œI thought Otto came in and gave us some good minutes,€ Wittman said. I let him ride it out. He was aggressive and that€™s what we need, more people like that."
We’ve seen Otto Porter play well in spurts, but he hasn’t necessarily been able to carry the momentum. Last night against the Philadelphia 76ers, Porter took advantage of another opportunity: Starting in place of Pierce, who Wittman decided to rest against the lowly Sixers.
Porter continued to play well, chipping in 15 points and 7 rebounds en route to a dominating victory at home. He scored 4 of Washington’s first points, and more importantly, he’s been playing with the confidence that’s been missing since he was drafted with the third overall pick in 2013.
It might seem like it, but it hasn’t been very long since Washington Wizards fans were campaigning for Otto Porter with the #Lotto4Otto hashtag online. There’s a reason why Otto Porter was considered the safest pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He’s a good outside shooter, he moves extremely well without the basketball and he’s a very solid rebounder for the position.
When he was first drafted, every NBA pundit compared Otto Porter to Tayshaun Prince.
Both have a similar build and neither excel at one specific aspect of the game. While that might seem like a knock on both players, Porter and Prince have gotten to where they are because of their versatility.
If you look at both of their stats from their second seasons in the NBA, they’re remarkably similar. Prince was 23-years-old in his second season, while Porter is two-years younger in his sophomore year, yet their numbers are eerily close.
| Rk | Player | Season | Age | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otto Porter | 2014-15 | 21 | 67 | 10 | 1234 | .439 | .322 | .479 | .747 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 5.5 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 11.3 |
| 2 | Tayshaun Prince | 2003-04 | 23 | 82 | 80 | 2701 | .467 | .363 | .496 | .766 | 1.2 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 11.2 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Similar to Prince, Porter is capable of becoming a starter for a competitive team. As J.Michael of CSN Washington noted, the Wizards should consider starting him for the rest of the season.
His skill-set fits perfectly along side John Wall, and some of his characteristics, like his ability to move without the ball, could give Washington’s archaic offense some more creativity. Let’s face it: At this point, Paul Pierce isn’t going to produce each and every night. The same could be said for Porter, but unlike Pierce or the rest of Washington’s small forwards, he’s capable of contributing in other ways when his shot isn’t falling.
He’s been unfairly labeled as a “bust” by some, but if you’ve watched Otto Porter play, it’s clear that he’s got the talent to succeed in the NBA. Washington drafted him to become their small forward for the future and I still think he’s capable of becoming that.
Besides John Wall and Bradley Beal, the Washington Wizards don’t have much else going for them past this season. Nene and Marcin Gortat are both in their 30s, Pierce might hang up his sneakers after this season, and the bench is comprised of players with just two-year deals.
With that said, the Wizards will continue to look forward to 2016.
A chance to add hometown hero Kevin Durant should certainly excite the fan base, but there’s no clear indication that he’d even consider leaving Oklahoma City. In fact, Durant recently stated that he’d like to finish his career in OKC.
His recent statements certainly don’t bode well for #KD2DC, and some fans have even jokingly started campaigning for #Horford2DC and even #Danilo2DC, noting several other players that will also become available in 2016.
If there’s a chance to add Kevin Durant, then the Washington Wizards should certainly plan on it, and they have been doing so.
They’ve added short-term contracts and they’ll have the chance to add another max free agent in 2016. All signs point to the Wizards making a push for Durant, but if you sit down and seriously ask yourself “Would you leave Oklahoma City if you were Durant?”, the answer in most instances would be “no.”
Durant is playing with an MVP-caliber talent in Russell Westbrook and their general manager, Sam Presti, has made some savvy moves to keep the team competitive in his absence this season. The Wizards haven’t experienced any note-worthy success in a very long time. The Thunder have been a legitimate title contender for the past several years. They’ve been to the NBA Finals and they have the talent to get there again. The same cannot be said for the Washington Wizards.
So, instead of focusing on the pipe-dream that is Kevin Durant right now, avoid the potential colossal disappointment in several years.
The Washington Wizards already have a very solid, young, small forward in their locker room. Let’s focus on Kevin Durant in two seasons. Right now, though, the Wizards should focus on developing Otto Porter.