The Next Generation: Otto Porter Jr.

Every season the draft brings a fresh infusion of talent to the NBA. In theory this is an even, steady process. In practice, hindsight and historical perspective show that there are borders and boundaries — talent doesn’t just arrive in the NBA, it arrives in generational waves. Sometimes we can’t see these aesthetic dividing lines for decades, sometimes you simply can’t miss them.

The present day NBA appears to be on the cusp of welcoming a remarkable new generation to its forefront — players who are not just incredible but incredibly unique. Players who will not just excel but transform the roles and responsibilities of basketball players as we understand them. Over the course of this week, The Step Back will be examining many of the players who could figure prominently in The Next Generation. Not every player we turn our attention to is destined to be a star, but all could play a role in defining the future of the NBA. Read the whole series here.

Art by Matthew Hollister /

The Next Generation: Otto Porter Jr.

There are only four great Otto’s in history.

First, there’s Otto Rocket, an extreme sports icon that conquered blading, skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding and biking. He also branched out and succeeded in hockey. Otto Rocket is the most decorated extreme sports athlete of all-time and it’s a shame that he’s not honored every year at the Olympics.

Next, Otto Mann, the best and most famous bus driver around. Alright, maybe he’s not the best, but he’s definitely the most famous. Not only is he a semi-skilled bus driver, he also plays guitar and has an artistic side, creating his own comic book. Even though he may not be the best bus driver, he’s managed to keep his job the entire time. That’s pretty tough to do in this climate.

Then there’s Otto Graham, the greatest quarterback in Cleveland Browns history. Trust me when I tell you, the Cleveland Browns have a long history at quarterback. They go through three quarterbacks a season nowadays. Graham won three championships with the Browns. That’s the equivalent of 20 champions with the New England Patriots.

Finally, Otto Porter Jr., the current small forward for the Washington Wizards. Porter Jr. doesn’t have the level of success or fame as the other three Otto’s, but he’s only 23 and his has entire career ahead of him. The other three are either retired or way past their prime.

Drafted third overall in 2013, the Cleveland Cavaliers really screwed up. After taking point guard Kyrie Irving in 2011 and shooting guard Dion Waiters in 2012, the Cavaliers could have paired that duo with Porter, a consensus top three pick, to create the best backcourt in the league plus Otto Porter. Instead, they took power forward Anthony Bennett — spoiler: that didn’t work — and tried to right their wrong the following year by drafting small forward Andrew Wiggins. Everything worked out for Cleveland because LeBron James got homesick and decided he was going to be a God, but they still screwed up in 2013.

Porter didn’t exactly light it up in his first couple of NBA seasons. He missed the first three months of his rookie season with a hip flexor, and only appeared in 37 games, averaging just 2.1 points per game on 36 percent shooting in 8.6 minutes per game. We’ll give him a pass for his rookie year. Injuries suck, man.

In his sophomore year, Porter’s minutes went up to 19.4 per game, and his production followed suit. He averaged 6 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent on 3-pointers. Not numbers that scream “THIRD OVERALL PICK!” but at least he showed improvement with increased minutes. And he was still playing better than Anthony Bennett.

It was last season when Porter started showing signs that he was going to live up to the lofty expectations of the name “Otto.” He was named the starting small forward to start the season and saw his minutes shoot up to 30.3 per game. He rewarded head coach Randy Wittman for his faith in him by averaging 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 47 percent from the field and 36 percent on 3-pointers. These are not star player numbers, but on a team with John Wall and Bradley Beal, Porter was carving out a nice role for himself. The Wizards finally so flashes of the player they thought they were drafting. An efficient scorer with a shooting touch who could defend multiple positions at a high-level.

It’s been this year that everyone has taken notice to just how good Porter is. And we can all thank one man: Scott Brooks.

Brooks is no stranger to coaching up young players and taking them to a new level. And he’s no stranger to turning skinny small forwards into scoring machines. Ever heard of Kevin Durant? He won the MVP award in 2014 under the guidance of ‘The Mad Scientist’ Scott Brooks.

With Brooks at the helm, Porter is on pace to have his best offensive season ever. Through Mar. 5, Porter was averaging 14.2 points per game on 52 percent shooting from the field and a splendid 45 percent from on 3-pointers, which is the highest mark in the league. Porter might not be jacking up 3s at the rate of Steph Curry or every member of the Rockets, but his 270 attempts place him 44th among the league. His true shooting percentage of 64 percent is fourth among qualified players.

Defensively, he remains one of the tougher assignments in the league. Sure, he won Shaqtin-A-Fool MVP a couple of seasons ago when someone unplugged the controller on him against the Bulls, but one lowlight doesn’t erase the hard work he puts in nightly on defense. In fact, that Shaqtin-A-Fool moment just made him work harder. He hasn’t been on the segment for his defense since. And he didn’t even need his mom to call TNT.

Porter isn’t a great one-on-one player. He’s not going to beat you off the dribble with an array of ball handling moves that put defenders on skates, but he’s going to hit shots. That’s a pretty important attribute in the NBA. He knows where to go and he knows how to shoot.

And just because he isn’t cooking defenders right now, doesn’t mean he won’t in the future. What’s one word you would use to describe Porter from season one to season four? Improved. He’s improved every single season he’s been in the league. The NBA will likely award him for his improvement at the end of this season with the NBA Most Improved Player award. Porter’s game gets better every single season, and there’s no reason to believe that won’t continue over the next decade.

In ten years, we’re going to be talking about a guy who literally never misses. We’re going to speak so highly about a small forward that can do it all. We’re going to label him as the most complete player of all-time. A multi-time champion. A multi-time MVP. The most gifted player in all of the land.

Otto Porter was born for greatness. His first name won’t allow him to fail.