Should Otto Porter start over Paul Pierce?

Many NBA pundits thought losing Trevor Ariza would hurt the Washington Wizards this season. After re-signing Marcin Gortat to a 5-year contract this summer, the Wizards opted to let Ariza walk to the Houston Rockets, and shockingly reached a deal with future Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce.

Still, even though the Wizards had replaced Ariza with Pierce, some wondered if Washington would lose their identity following Ariza’s departure.

At 32-20, the Washington Wizards are sitting third in the Eastern Conference and have maintained the elite defense that helped them reach the semi-finals this past season.

With that said, the Wizards aren’t a perfect team.

They’ve struggled to beat the top teams in the East and their second unit has been inconsistent all season long. However, over the past few weeks, we’ve seen Otto Porter become a legitimate contributor in the Wizards’ rotation.

There were a lot of questions coming into this season about Porter, especially after his great run in the NBA Summer League. After losing his spot in the rotation to Martell Webster and Rasual Butler, it seems like Randy Wittman has finally given Otto Porter the chance he deserves.

Like virtually everyone on the roster, Otto Porter has played a lot better when sharing the court with John Wall and the rest of the starters. Bradley Beal missed yesterday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets and Porter was given the chance to start again. Needless to say, he made the most of his opportunity.

Otto Porter scored 12 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and displayed the skills that earned him the third overall selection in 2013. While Andre Miller is a terrific passer and does a good job of running the second unit, Porter’s tools haven’t been utilized like they have when he’s playing with the starters.

His ability to move without the ball makes him a perfect fit along side Wall and especially Nene, who’s great at finding cutters from the post. Porter’s length and improved outside shot also gives John Wall another weapon to work with in transition.

As J.Michael of CSN Washington pointed out, the Washington Wizards are undefeated when Otto Porter is in the starting lineup:

This is just a statistic, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless: The Wizards are 4-0 when Otto Porter is in the starting lineup after Saturday’s 114-77 destruction of the Brooklyn Nets to end a five-game losing streak.

For Otto Porter to ever live up to his third overall selection, he’ll eventually have to become a starter. So, why not now?

Paul Pierce, 37, has lived up to expectations this season. He’s brought the veteran leadership and the scoring punch late in games that the Washington Wizards desperately needed last season.

But, the second unit is struggling mightily and Kevin Seraphin is virtually the only player on the bench that could create his own shot. That’s where Paul Pierce could come in, as J.Michael also pointed out:

The evidence is growing for why Paul Pierce eventually coming off the bench — when Beal returns — as the sixth man isn’t a bad idea. First, Porter’s play with the first unit. Second, Pierce has done it before when he played for Brooklyn last season with great success.

Over the past few weeks, it’s become evident the Washington Wizards need to add another creator to their second unit. Many, including myself, believe the Wizards should sign another guard, but that might not be the case after all.

Washington needs someone that could create their own shot and Pierce could help bolster their second unit. Porter has been mostly invisible while coming off the bench, and Pierce would fit in well along side Andre Miller, Seraphin and Kris Humphries.

Most importantly, though, Pierce would still be able to close out games in the fourth quarter and would be well-rested before the start of the NBA Playoffs.

As long as Paul Pierce wouldn’t view the change as a demotion, having Otto Porter start could potentially help the Washington Wizards stabilize their second unit. So, should the Wizards make the change?

Should Otto Porter Start Over Paul Pierce? Yes, it's time to make the change

No, Paul Pierce should remain the starter View Results