Washington Wizards: Otto Porter Is the Bright Spot After Blowout Loss
The Washington Wizards’ roster has suffered immensely from injuries, but Otto Porter showed signs that he has overcome his wounds.
The Washington Wizards have been bitten–or for a better word, devoured by the injury bug so far this NBA season. Not only has it affected their key bench rotation players in Nene (calf), Drew Gooden (calf), and Gary Neal (quad), a couple of starters in Bradley Beal (leg) and Otto Porter (thigh) have missed games due to injury.
Porter was able to return to action Dec. 26 against Brooklyn for limited minutes, but against the Los Angeles Clippers he showed signs that he could be back to his normal self sooner than later.
As the Wizards were run out of their own arena 108-91, the vibe in the locker room wasn’t the highest it’s been to say the least. They shot atrociously from the field to start the game. In fact, they shot just 28 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three. As Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan carved the Wizards defense for easy scores out of the pick-and-roll, the game was out of reach quickly.
One thing that was positive out of the contest was the play from Porter. When it was announced that he was dealing with a thigh injury, it gave first-round draft pick Kelly Oubre Jr. an opportunity to earn developmental minutes that he was restricted on before Porter’s injury. Oubre Jr. played well for the most part, but Porter’s presence and versatility was missed.
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The Wizards ironically rattled off three-straight wins in Porter’s absence much because of John Wall and Marcin Gortat‘s efforts in logging at least 37 or more minutes in each game.
When Porter is on the floor, it takes some of the workload off Wall and Gortat in terms of scoring and rebounding. It showed in the recent loss against the Clippers.
Porter finished the game with 21 points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes. Although as a team the Wizards struggled mightily to guard the Clippers, Porter was smothering his matchup no matter who he was assigned. It seemed to look like the old Otto Porter was back, but after the game he didn’t want to give any insight that he is 100 percent.
“I’m getting there. Feeling good. You know, just gotta get back in shape.” Porter said after Monday’s game.
As the Wizards sit in the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 14-15, they will need all of their wounded players to heal as soon as possible. They are starting to experience the shooting woes that come with the absence of Beal and Neal, arguably their two best shooters from mid-range and outside. Gortat cannot afford to keep playing massive amounts of minutes due to the fear of fatigue setting in late in the season.
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The fact that Porter is showing signs of once again being inserted in the lineup for this team is huge. They need all the help they can get right now and Porter is a vital piece to the puzzle in the nation’s capital. It doesn’t get any easier in the near future as the Wizards are set to take on the Raptors, Magic, Heat, and Cavaliers in their next four games.
Porter is averaging a career-high 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season after entering this season with big expectations ever since Paul Pierce signed with the Clippers.
“We’re shorthanded right now,” Porter told reporters. “I’m just trying to help the guys out any way I can whether that’s coming off the bench and playing those minutes or starting.” For the Wizards sake, Porter’s name in the starting lineup would be the best case scenario for the daunting schedule ahead as they attempt to stay in reach within a playoff seed.