Otto Porter Jr. finishes tough circus shot in big first half

On Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards small forward Otto Porter Jr. converted a gorgeous circus shot for a three-point play.

The Washington Wizards have been on a roll over the last few months, and though All-Star John Wall and star shooting guard Bradley Beal understandably get most of the credit, another big reason for their success has been Otto Porter Jr.

In his fourth NBA season, Porter is having the best year of his young career so far. Coming into Thursday’s road game against the Indiana Pacers, he was averaging 14.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting a blistering 53.2 percent from the field and 45.9 percent from three-point range — ALL career-highs.

Not only is Porter leading the league in three-point percentage among all qualified players, but he’s proving that the early “draft bust” labels were premature. In fact, if it weren’t for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, he’d be the favorite for the league’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

On Thursday night, Porter helped lead the Wizards to a 10-point halftime lead with 18 points. Not only did he knock down five three-pointers in the first quarter, but he also converted this crazy circus shot for a three-point play in the second quarter:

Despite starting 3-9 this season, the Wizards have since won 30 of their last 42 games to climb to No. 3 in the Eastern Conference standings. Wall still runs the show for this upstart team, and Beal is also enjoying the best season of his young NBA career, but Porter is proving his value as his restricted free agency creeps closer.

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Was this kind of a weak, halfhearted foul? Sure. But Porter’s crazy finish — along with those five three-pointers in the first quarter — are just reaffirming what his play all season long has told us: This 23-year-old wing is learning his role and starting to own it for one of the hottest teams in the NBA.