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Washington Wizards: Which 2017 free agents should they retain?

By Kenny Chapman

Mar 7, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2), guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) and forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2), guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) and forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards
Apr 26, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) celebrates with fans while leaving the court after the Wizards’ game against the Atlanta Hawks in game five of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Otto Porter Jr.

Porter Jr. will most definitely be the biggest decision for the Wizards to make this offseason. Otto Porter Jr. is a restricted free agent, meaning again, that they will have the chance to match any offer another team makes for him.

The problem is, Otto Porter Jr. is too good. He shot so efficiently from the field this season that he might be attracting close to max offers from teams desperate to get young talent on their teams. Just to give a better sense of how good Otto Porter Jr. is at shooting the ball.

Take a look at the league leaders in effective field goal percentage, a stat used to take into account how three-point shots are worth more than two-point shots:

  • DeAndre Jordan:  71.4 percent
  • Tyson Chandler:  67.1 percent
  • Lucas Nogueira:  67 percent
  • Rudy Gobert:  66.1 percent
  • Montrez Harrell:  65.4 percent
  • Clint Capela:  64.3 percent
  • Dwight Howard:  63.3 percent
  • Dewayne Dedmon:  62.2 percent
  • Kyle Korver:  62.1 percent
  • Nene:  62.1 percent
  • Brandan Wright:  61.5 percent
  • Amir Johnson:  61.2 percent
  • Otto Porter Jr.:  60.8 percent

Yes there are a good amount of players above Otto Porter Jr. on this list, but let’s look a little bit closer. Firstly, look at how many of these players shoot three-point shots. None consistently except for two: Kyle Korver and Otto Porter Jr.. So of the players who actually contribute spacing and three-point shooting to their teams, Otto Porter Jr. is only beaten by Kyle Korver here.

Secondly, every single one of these players was in the playoffs this year. That tells you something about how important effective shooting can be. It’s not a coincidence that guys who are efficient with their shooting find themselves on winning teams; it’s in part their shooting that’s helping get their teams there.

If people look long and hard at the numbers, they’ll find what the Wizards already know. Otto Porter Jr. has gotten much better every year he’s in the league, he’s one of the most efficient shooters in the league, and he deserves an expensive and lengthy contract.

Next: 2017 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams

Though it may take up a lot of the Wizards’ cap space, the salary cap rules favor retaining players on their current teams, and the Wizards should invest in Otto Porter Jr. as the young promising talent of the future.

Final Decision: Retain at all costs

Home/NBA Free Agency