Final grade
Okay, so maybe Portis didn’t exactly endear himself to the front office or his peers for the role he played in an incident that got the season off to an eventful start. In addition to that, he certainly has room to improve from a defensive standpoint.
On the flip side of the equation, his numbers were up in nearly every statistical category. He proved that he can be effective from long range, which is an important component not just within this team’s offense, but for every team in the new the pace-and-space era.
Just for good measure, let’s also include the fact that Portis played pretty well when he was asked to start as well. In those games, his averages included 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest.
Coming into the season, Portis was somewhat of a question mark, considering that he was essentially a third-string player. By the time it was all said and done, though, he had a career year; he proved that he is capable of being a productive player on any given night and he has become an integral part of the team’s future going forward.
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Grade: A-