25-under-25: Otto Porter at No. 10
By John Buhler
The Step Back is rolling out its 25-under-25 list over the next two days. Follow along with our rankings of the top 25 players under the age of 25.
Sometimes you just need an expensive but promising third wheel to be relevant in the Eastern Conference. That’s why Otto Porter Jr. is No. 10 on our 25-under-25. Fresh off inking a four-year, $106.5 million deal with the Wizards, Porter is expected to help his team take flight in the East. Otherwise, the Wizards would have just Tim Hardaway Jr.’d him and let him go to Brooklyn.
Porter is a bit of Washington’s native son. Though he’s from St. Louis, he did play his college ball well enough at Georgetown to be the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. That’s good enough to be the third best basketball player in D.C. currently after John Wall and Bradley Beal. With Scott Brooks calling the shots, this team is poised to make build on a successful season and fight for a position in the NBA Finals.
Was Porter worth a max offer as a restricted free agent? Well, it was the price to prevent him from playing for Kenny Atkinson at the Barclays Center. Sean Marks really wanted him, but Ernie Grunfeld wanted him more. Why? Because he’s going to be an almost All-Star in a dreadful Eastern Conference.
To be fair, Porter is a perfect No. 3 at the three for the Wizards. Playing alongside Wall and Beal for the foreseeable future has Washington as a perennial top-four team in the East. If LeBron takes his talents to Hollywood, this might be the second best team in the East after the hated Celtics. Yeah, the Wizards and Celtics don’t like each other. Then again, that may just be beef between Wall and Isaiah Thomas, who now plays for the Cavaliers with LeBron.
According to Basketball-Reference, “Bubba” doesn’t turn 25 until next June. He’s a perfect fit on this team because of his offensive and defensive versatility, because his 3-point shooting has jumped to elite level and because he doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be successful. With a distributor like Wall feeding him the rock and the coach of superstars Brooks coaching him, Porter has both become an elite complementary player and his the potential to perhaps become more.
Washington will again be the favorite to come out of the Southeast Division. Outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, who’s going to be challenging the Celtics in the East once the Cavaliers completely self-combust? Washington, that’s who!
Admittedly, Grunfeld is going to have to do better than just having warm bodies on his bench to win big in May in June in Washington. However, Washington looks good one to four going forward. Wall is a Wizard at the point. Beal gets buckets, when he’s not hurt, at the two. Porter spaces the floor at the three. Markieff Morris gives the Wizards an edge at the four. Then there’s the Polish Hammer Marcin Gortat at the five…he’s….he’s the Washington spirit animal. Yeah, that’s it!
What is really intriguing about the Wizards going forward is that we know that Wall, Beal and Porter gel. We expect it to happen in Boston with Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford, but we don’t know. Have we seen the best of the Raptors? Are the Cavaliers a lottery team in 2019?
What we also know is that in the Southeast, it’s Washington and everybody else. Unless you’re down with the ceiling being the roof, how fired up can you get about Kemba Walker and the Hornets? They just traded for Dwight Howard in the most depressing move of the offseason. The Hawks’ consecutive playoff streak is bye-bye, as Travis Schlenk has convinced Tony Ressler now is the best time to rebuild in the ATL. Pat Riley will continue to drop rings in South Beach, but will the free agents listen? Then there’s Orlando. Let’s hope this GM doesn’t believe in whiteboards or pyramid schemes.
Paying a premium on Porter in his restricted free agency was a bold strategy, but it’s probably going to pay out for the Wizards. Porter has gotten better every year he has been in the league. He can be the third best player on an Eastern Conference Finals contender. Isn’t that what the Wizards are already?
Playing under Brooks could have him be a 15 point per game player and maybe make an All-Star team before he has to get his own insurance policy at 26. Eastern Conference All-Star spots are low-hanging fruit. It won’t be long before Beal and Porter join Wall on the East squad.
Essentially, Washington is paying Porter top dollar for the player he will become in his mid-to-late 20s.
Next: 25-under-25 -- The best young players in the NBA
As long as the Wizards keep winning and Grunfeld figures out what a bench is, Porter could be the lynchpin that helps Washington win an atrocious Eastern Conference for the first time Wes Unseld was No. 1 with the Bullets.