Washington Wizards: 5 Reasons Not To Panic

2. Otto’s Improvement

Another expectation coming into this season that carried over from last year’s playoffs was the improvement of Otto Porter. As most know by now, Porter exploded onto the scene once Randy Wittman went with a small lineup with Paul Pierce at the power forward and Porter at the small forward. This allowed more space for Porter to spot up around the arc and crash the offensive glass. With Pierce gone, it was Porter’s turn to step up to the plate and accept his starting role responsibilities.

Instead of being the beneficiary of put-backs and wide-open threes, Porter has shown that he has some playmaking abilities in his repertoire. It’s also obvious that confidence is no longer a problem for him even without Pierce constantly in his ear. Porter scored a career-high 23 points against the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 7.

The uptempo offense has been huge for his production throughout the first seven games. In most cases, he and John Wall are the ones leading the two-on-one breaks that have been finishing with a finesse lay in or one-handed slam from Porter.

Porter has been playing at a high-level despite the Wizards’ struggles. It’s only right to assume that his numbers will improve once they can consistently cut down on turnovers that will result in more possessions.

Next: 3. Real Deal B3al