The Washington Wizards have been up-and-down this season and the downs, so far, have outweighed the ups.

After beating the San Antonio Spurs at home, the Wizards have dropped three straight games to put themselves below .500. While it’s still very early in the season, there are a number of reasons to be concerned. The defense hasn’t played well and most of the players don’t seem committed on that side of the floor. Washington’s depth, or lack of it, has hurt the team has well.

But,with that said, there have been some positives stemming from individual play.

John Wall has struggled with turnovers, but other than that, has looked like the All-Star we imagined he’d resemble at the start of the season. Bradley Beal has blossomed into the team’s primary option on the offensive end of the floor, often taking over games when the Washington Wizards need him most.

Perhaps more than anyone, though, Otto Porter has provided true consistency for a team that could desperately use it.

The 22-year-old forward is averaging over 13 points, nearly 5 rebounds and slightly over 2 assists per game — posting career numbers all across the board.

Prior to the beginning of the season, I predicted that Porter would be in the hunt for the league’s Most Improved Player Award. Following Paul Pierce‘s departure, the Wizards’ brass gave Porter the vote of confidence by allowing him to become the team’s starting small forward. So far this season, he’s lived up to his third overall selection a couple of years back.

More importantly than his career-high numbers, Porter has displayed a tremendous improvement in his confidence.

Before this season, we became accustomed to seeing Porter shy away from taking big shots — or any shots, really. This season, he’s stepped up and looks comfortable with performing in the clutch. Like always, Porter has given Washington another look on offense by moving without the ball and finding himself open for the guards. He’s crashing the glass and he’s running in transition, which are two things an up-tempo team needs from their starting forwards.

Porter is finishing 80 percent of his drives to the basket and hasn’t allowed his slender build to restrict his play, like he has in the past. He’s making nearly 54 percent of his shots and is sporting a 15.78 player efficiency rating, which is above the league average. Simply put, he’s become an efficiency monster. Over the past five games, Porter has averaged over 16 points on 60 percent shooting…

All Otto Porter needed was some developmental time and an opportunity to play. The Washington Wizards are missing a few key pieces that would normally be a part of their rotation, but Porter has stepped up and he’s provided much-needed consistency in the starting lineup.

Porter, who was once labeled a bust, has arguably become the Wizards’ third most important player.

There are going to be nights where Porter — like on Saturday against Atlanta, for instance — looks like the team’s best player. Labeling someone like Porter a “glue-guy” lowers his ceiling. He has the tools to become much more than that. Once he begins to knock down the three point shot on a regular basis, Porter is going to become a main focus on the opposition’s scouting report.

The days of Rasual Butler and Martell Webster getting significant playing time over Otto Porter are over. It’s taken him some time, but Porter has become the player we all thought he was coming out of Georgetown. If he can continue this level of play, he’ll certainly be in the discussion for Most Improved Player.