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Washington Wizards 2016 Season Review: Otto Porter

By Osman Baig

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Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter was expected to take “the leap” in his third season, but he didn’t. However, he did show some growth

Basic Stats: 11.6 PPG (47.3 FG% and 36.7 3PT%), 5.2 RPG, 1.6 APG

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be posting individual player reviews for the guys that ended the season in a Washington Wizards uniform. We’ll continue with everyone’s favorite slender bucket-getter

Otto Porter improved statistically across the board in his third NBA season.

On a Per-36 basis he posted career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.  He averaged a career high 36.7% from the 3-point line and overall shot 47.3% from the field.

At just 23-years-old (Happy Birthday, Otto) and coming off his first season playing starter minutes, there’s all the reason to believe this is just the beginning for Porter and his numbers should continue to improve as he becomes a veteran, seasoned starter.

Why does Otto Porter elicit such strong opinions positively or negatively, then?

There seems to be only two sides with Porter: the side that considers him a jack of all trades but a master of none, certainly not worthy of the third overall selection, and the side that takes draft slot out of the equation and sees an improving player and shooter that should continue to grow and develop into a solid starter.

Let’s start with where Porter was selected since that seems to be at the root of the debate.

Otto Porter was the third overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft – a class that was considered weak going in.

The top five selections in the draft, Anthony Bennett, Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter, Cody Zeller, and Alex Len will never be mistaken for the LeBron James and the 2003 draft class.

The high-end contributors of this draft (C.J. McCollum, Steven Adams, and Giannis Antetokounmpo) came from the latter portion of the lottery and middle of the first round.

At that time, Washington was reeling from a very unsuccessful 2011 draft as Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton had by then solidified themselves as draft busts.

Washington moved up in the lottery to the third selection and went the safe route, picking a local player whom they had a lot of exposure to, a player who did not necessarily provide the upside a typical third overall selection would, but also had a higher floor.

Washington did not draft Otto Porter with the intention of turning him into a 20 point per game go-to scorer.

Has he turned into what they expected, though?

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A better question now might be has this roster’s evolution changed what this team needs from the small forward position?

Porter started the season slowly, but as the season progressed the player that broke onto the scene in the 2015 NBA playoffs began to flash again.

His shooting improved as he shot 42.9% from the 3-point line over the last 39 games of the season.

He also continued to move well without the ball in his hands, was disruptive in passing lanes, was a positive on the glass, and was one of the few players on the roster who could run the floor with John Wall.

He became more consistent as well, scoring in double figures over 14 consecutive games in March.  Washington went 8-6 over that stretch including a five-game winning streak.

That’s not to say Porter didn’t struggle in his first extensive regular season opportunity.

He started off the season shooting poorly, routinely allowing teams to sag defensively without the fear of him making them pay for doing so.

He struggled matching up with physical wing players and likewise also struggled staying close and challenging quicker wings on the perimeter. His most egregious sin was his inconsistent aggression.

Otto Porter followed up a career high 28-point performance versus the Dallas Mavericks by shooting a combined 14 field goal attempts over this next two games and shooting 2-14 in those games.

In a mid-March game versus the New York Knicks, John Wall had to yell at Otto Porter to shoot the ball.

This wouldn’t be a big deal is Otto Porter were playing the Harrison Barnes role for Golden State, but on this team with Bradley Beal missing the time he did, the Washington Wizards needed him to maintain a consistent level of aggression and he didn’t.

Even in the midst of his strong shooting to end the season, you have games like the playoff eliminating loss to Detroit where in 31 minutes Otto Porter made one field goal on just five attempts from the floor.

Two other games stand outL a two point, one for three shooting night versus an undermanned Chicago team and a four point, one for five shooting night versus Cleveland in 28 minutes.  The common denominator in these games – the Wizards lost all three.

The current roster makeup highlights the importance of Porter becoming a consistent contributor, avoiding those “no show” type of games.

Otto Porter was drafted to be a complimentary player to the young backcourt.  That backcourt hasn’t evolved as anticipated.

John Wall had a productive season but Bradley Beal missed significant action for the fourth straight season. After a strong early start, his season was a roller coaster thereafter, highlighting the need for more consistency and aggression from Otto Porter.

Is that fair to him?  It may or may not be but the Washington Wizards aren’t asking him to do things he’s incapable of doing. We haven’t see isolation plays for Porter in hopes of him taking other wings off the dribble.

They do want him to be ready and willing to shoot the ball when the opportunity presents itself and he wasn’t always willing to do so. When he’s shooting well, the court opens up.  When he’s not, the offense loses a dynamic and becomes a lot more predictable and easier to defend.

As a jack of all trades, Porter has not fully tapped into the skill-set he came out of Georgetown with.

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In prepping to review Porter’s season I went back and watched pre-draft breakdowns.

I was a fan of his at Georgetown and viewed him as an Andre Igoudola type – not the athlete he is, but compensating for that with a better jump shot.

I envisioned him as a secondary facilitator (a dire need for this team) and a player with stat-stuffing 15 points, six rebounds and four assists type of potential.

Porter has a high basketball IQ and a varied skill set, so why hasn’t that been tapped into? Is it his lack of aggression and a propensity to blend in or was the prior coaching staff more interested in replicating the departed Trevor Ariza?

Porter has great length which should be an advantage to him, but at times instead of using it and going over defenders he tries to twist and turn around them.

How much of what is holding him back is on him and how much is on how he was developed by the previous coaching staff?

With a change in coaching comes opportunity anew for Otto Porter. It was reported as news of his hiring broke that Scott Brooks is a big fan of his.

Does Brooks, a coach with a track record for player development, see him as strictly a 3-and-D or does he see a jack of all trades with untapped potential?

If he sees him as a developing 3-and-D, Porter could continue on his current ascension and be a solid role player. With the roster as currently constructed, is a role-playing 3-and-D enough for the Washington Wizards?

Next: Complete Wizards Off-Season Mock 3.0

With potentially $30 million in cap space to improve the roster, the organization’s course of action this July might best answer to that question.

Did he do enough this past season to outweigh the negatives, though? That’s the lingering question.

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