Washington Wizards: 3 standout stats early in 2017-18

Otto Porter Jr.’s defensive rating

Through seven games in the 2017-18 NBA season, the Wizards have looked improved on the defensive side of the ball (despite their loss to the Phoenix Suns). In 2016-17, the Wizards didn’t have a single player who averaged a defensive rating under 100. This year, they have three! Jason Smith, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. are all putting up a defensive rating under 100.

But the one that stands out the most is Porter. Last year he was a liability to say the least on the defensive side of the ball. The best way to describe him would be “having potential” defensively, especially given his lanky frame. This year he may have finally blossomed into a net positive defensive player.

In the 2016-17 NBA season, Otto Porter Jr. posted a 107.2 defensive rating. Through seven games of the 2017-18 campaign, he has a 94.8 defensive rating. That’s a drastic improvement, which may in part come from the somewhat lackluster offenses they’ve played this year in the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings.

Next: 2017-18 Week 3 NBA Power Rankings

It will be interesting to monitor how these players’ defensive ratings shift once they’re battling the top-tier offenses, but all of the signs are there for the Wizards to be a top 10 defense for the first time since the 2014-15 season.