Wiz of Awes
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Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: Washington Wizards Fourth Quarter Woes

By Garrison Cole

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 11: Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards dribbles past LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Verizon Center on November 11, 2016 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 11: Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards dribbles past LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Verizon Center on November 11, 2016 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 11: Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards dribbles past LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Verizon Center on November 11, 2016 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 11: Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards dribbles past LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Verizon Center on November 11, 2016 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

With the Washington Wizards losing games where they had a comfortable lead, should Otto Porter, Jr. get more touches in the fourth quarter?

Greetings Wizards faithful! The mailbag returns after two weeks. No, I did not receive PRP injections like John Wall, but needed some time to recharge, and now I’m back ready to answer all of your Wizards questions!

The Washington Wizards are heading into a new week with some uncertainty after losing four of their last five games. In addition, they will be without their All-Star point guard for at least two weeks. It has not been the start to the season that many envisioned, but neither was last year.

We’ve seen happier days DC Family, but let’s try to keep a positive head about it.

…I said positive remember? Reeves Garnett, the Wizards are coming off two straight losses where they held leads in the fourth quarter. It’s hard to remain positive, when you’re constantly watching a team blow games that will end up haunting them later in the year. But last week head coach Scott Brooks did play Kelly Oubre to close out against the Hornets–they still lost.

The net ratings of the lineups back up the point, that the Wizards are best with Otto Porter, Jr. at the power forward, and Oubre playing the small forward position. But matchups dictate that. For example, against the Trail Blazers, because of their big man Jusuf Nurkic, the Wizards couldn’t go as small as maybe they normally would in that situation.

I think now with the minutes restriction lifted from Markieff Morris, you will start to see again the lineup that was so successful last year, with Morris joining Porter and Oubre in the frontcourt.

I agree toshi, Otto Porter needs more touches in the fourth quarter. It’s really that simple. He’s averaging 1.5 field goal attempts in the final quarter. That can’t happen. Porter is the second best player on the team right now, and against Portland where he was defended by the much smaller Damian Lillard, for the majority of the fourth quarter, he needed the ball more often.

This falls right at the feet of Coach Brooks, who has to realize when there’s a mismatch that needs to be exploited. One of the critiques of Brooks in Oklahoma City, is that he really didn’t have an offense that generated quality looks down the stretch. It was a lot of isolation basketball.

The Wizards are shooting a ridiculous 6-for-46 on clutch shots outside of the paint. That is awful to say the least. Porter is so efficient, so going to him late in games seems to be the smart play here. With Wall out, more trust in Porter needs to be exercised by the coaching staff late in games. Placing most of the load on Bradley Beal, isn’t generating the best results at the moment.

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