Don’t Buy It: Randy Wittman Was Apparently Playing Possum With Lineups During Regular Season by Ben Mehic

I’ll admit it.

Randy Wittman has been very good in the NBA Playoffs. Prior to the start of the postseason, though, there were legitimate reasons to dislike his coaching style.

Many will cite his lack of creativity in the offense, stubbornness to adapt to the changing game, and unwillingness to take blame for any of the losses throughout the season. However, not playing former third overall pick Otto Porter over the likes of Martell Webster and Rasual Butler was a cardinal sin.

In 2013, Otto Porter was billed as the most “NBA ready” prospect coming out of Georgetown.

His familiarity with the area and Washington’s need for a young wing player made him a perfect fit for Randy Wittman’s club. When it was time to pick, Washington opted to pass on Nerlens Noel — who many believed would be the first overall pick — in order to secure their small forward of the future.

Of course, Porter was almost immediately, unfairly labeled a bust.

He dealt with nagging injuries prior to his rookie season, which caused him to sit out most of NBA Summer League, and all of training camp and preseason.

Trevor Ariza unexpectedly became one of the team’s key pieces and Martell Webster, who started the year prior, was the primary backup forward.

When he did get a chance to play, Porter struggled to adjust to the NBA game. All of the skills that earned him a spot as a top pick in the draft seemed to go out of the window.

His shooting regressed, he struggled to stay in front of defenders, and his confidence was nonexistent.

Porter’s rookie season, in terms of production and playing time, was a disaster.

With Ariza gone to Houston and Webster out following his third back surgery this season, it seemed to open up a door for Otto Porter.

Averaging about 19 points and 6 rebounds per game in the summer league, Porter showed the confidence that was missing in his rookie season. It seemed like he would finally be given the chance to prove his worth.

And again, it didn’t happen.

Rasual Butler did his best Michael Jordan impression earlier in the season, eventually taking Otto Porter’s spot in the rotation. The addition of Paul Pierce left Porter with no playing time again. When Webster returned, despite his beyond awful shooting numbers, Wittman insisted on playing him over Porter.

During the latter half of the season, Butler’s shooting began to inevitably regress. He was no longer making over half of his three point shots and his defense left much to be desired. Webster’s minutes increased but his play was downright depressing.

This left Wittman no choice but to play Otto Porter, who was patiently #coolin’ on the bench for quite some time.

When he did get a chance to play, he finally made the most of his opportunity.

On March 29th, Otto Porter scored 15 points against the Houston Rockets, almost single handedly willing the Wizards back into the game. He backed that performance up by scoring 15 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, and 17 points against the New York Knicks.

While Porter, who has never been known for his scoring ability, did contribute offensively, it was his defense and hustle that separated him from the rest of the wing players on Washington’s roster.

At 6’9″, Otto Porter showed Trevor Ariza-like defense by using his length to intercept passes and disrupt the player he was guarding. There were moments where he looked like the most versatile player on the team, and at this point, he probably is. Porter’s movement without the ball and superb rebounding made him a regular contributor with the starters.

His scoring never necessarily stuck out, but it was his seemingly perfect fit along side John Wall, Bradley Beal, Nene, and Marcin Gortat that made Wizard fans turn their heads.

Once the NBA Playoffs began, I was honestly worried that Wittman would reduce Porter’s role on the team. He has a tendency to lean towards his veteran players, but fortunately, that hasn’t been the case.

Porter has played over 30 minutes in both games against the Toronto Raptors thus far.

His presence on the court was felt in Game-1, with timely baskets in the fourth quarter and overtime, but it was definitely felt in Game-2.

Otto Porter scored 15 points on 6-8 shooting and grabbed 9 rebounds in 35 minutes of action. Without Porter, the Wizards wouldn’t have taken a 2-0 series lead over the Raptors before heading back to the nation’s capital.

Otto Porter’s lack of playing time certainly hurt his confidence earlier in his career. Wittman is not a good coach in terms of developing players, but the addition of Paul Pierce has helped Porter grow as a player this season.

Pierce has served as a mentor for Porter this season and his potential is showing when it matters most, via the Washington Post:

“His confidence has just been growing going into the playoffs,” Pierce said. “And I’m just steadily trying to feed it every day in a game or practice. He has a lot of potential, man. He’s an X-factor for us, and he’s proving that right now in this series. . . . I think a lot of the stuff y’all see coming out, I think has always been there. I just think I can kind of manifest it to another level.”

Washington has a real chance to end their first round match up against Toronto at home.

Otto Porter’s emergence as a key rotation player has been a big factor to their success in the postseason. If Wittman had played Porter throughout the regular season, we probably would’ve expected this. I guess it’s better late than never.

He’s definitely not a finished product and has a long way to go before consistently playing at a high level. The important thing is, we’re finally seeing Otto Porter make the most of his opportunity. Washington finally seems to need Porter just as much as Porter needs the Wizards.