Washington Wizards: How Bobby Portis is fitting in so far

Following a three-plus year stint in Chicago, Bobby Portis has been another solid midseason pickup for the Washington Wizards.

Washington Wizards forward Bobby Portis was taken at 22nd overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2015 NBA Draft. Following a sophomore campaign that saw him earn SEC Player of the Year honors, Portis’ play during his first two NBA seasons could be categorized as inconsistent at best.

In this third season, Portis took his game to new heights, posting averages of 13.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest. He also shot 47.1 percent from the field and knocked down 35.9 percent of his looks from beyond the arc.

On the heels of a breakout season, it could have been considered a foregone conclusion that Portis and the Bulls would be able to reach a long-term agreement. That didn’t happen, however, as the fourth-year forward decided to bet on himself.

Unfortunately, thanks to a knee and an ankle injury, Portis missed 30 of the team’s first 54 games. While his production in 22 appearances (14.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per outing) exceeded what he put up last season, the Bulls deemed him as expendable, sending him and Jabari Parker to the Wizards prior to the trade deadline.

For obvious reasons, Portis was somewhat stunned to be sent packing by the team that drafted him nearly four years ago. But because of the fact he was going to be a backup at the 4 at best, and the Bulls still had a glaring need for a quality player at the starting small forward position, the front office didn’t feel the need to shell out a lot of money to retain him beyond this season.

Despite the unexpected turn of events, though, Portis has proven to be another solid midseason pickup for the Wizards. In his debut with his new squad on Feb. 8, he wasted little time showing what he brings to the table.

He scored 30 points, grabbed six boards and handed out a pair of assists, enabling the Wizards to cruise to a 119-106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a result, he became the first player in NBA history to post back-to-back 30-point outings for two different teams within the same season.

But if you thought that performance would fall under the category of a one-hit wonder, you’d be mistaken. Since his arrival in Washington, Portis has registered five games in which he’s scored at least 20 points.

He accomplished this feat just four times with the Bulls this season. He’s also had eight outings in which he’s recorded at 10 rebounds, compared to just five with Chicago. To bring home the point even further, Portis’ overall numbers with the Wizards (14.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per outing) are slightly higher than the 14.1 points and 7.3 rebounds he averaged for Chicago.

His overall shooting efficiency is up a bit (45.9 percent compared to 45.0 percent) and he is converting 43.9 percent of his attempts from 3-point range — the best mark of his career so far.

Based on the uptick in production and the fact the he has already started more games this season for the Wizards (15) than he did for the Bulls over the past two seasons (10), it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Portis has enjoyed his time with his new team.

"“Everything is pretty good, man. I like being a Wizard. I love being here,” Portis said, via Chase Hughes of NBCSports.com. “I think this is a good fit for me through and through.”"

Depending on the kind of money Portis will be seeking, it is uncertain as to whether he and the Wizards will be a good fit beyond this season. On the other hand, for the first time in his career, Portis will have some say in where he plays next and if he continues to perform at an efficient level, there will be a number of teams vying for his services.