“Right now, he’s definitely our starter,” Coach Scott Brooks said. “We don’t have a starting power forward controversy.”

In other words, the Wizards (4-2) will honor what has worked in the past by moving Otto Porter Jr. back to his natural small forward role and returning Kelly Oubre Jr. to the bench, where he’ll play as part of the team’s shrunken nine-man rotation. While replacing Morris, though, the Wizards created their own version of a small-ball lineup. That unit, that we’ll refer to as “Junior ball,” made a clear case that it deserves more time on the court together moving forward.

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Oubre slid into the starting lineup when big man Jason Smith sustained a shoulder injury in one of the first plays of opening night. Teamed with other veterans, Oubre earned Brooks’s trust despite previously starting only 14 games over his first two seasons. Through six games this year, the Wizards’ starting five logged the most minutes of all five-man lineups in the NBA (126), even though other teams have already reached eight games this season. But the Wizards’ group justified its run together by producing lofty numbers.

Among five-man lineups that have appeared in at least six games as well as 35 minutes together, the unit consisting of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Oubre, Porter and Marcin Gortat ranks No. 1 in net rating (24.5) and pace (103.87). This configuration has favored the forwards. Since playing the stretch-four, Porter has expanded from his cutter and spot-up shooter role while Oubre has benefited from wide-open looks. Both Porter and Oubre rank within the top 10 among starting forwards in offensive rating.

But they’ve also contributed to the team’s work on the other end, as the Wizards’ starters have the third lowest defensive rating (89.7) in the league. That number — certainly helped by playing inexperienced Sacramento Sunday — still may come as a surprise after Washington allowed five of six opponents to score at least 100 points (including the Los Angeles Lakers, who needed overtime to surpass the mark).

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It helps having two slender forwards who possess reach and athleticism. Oubre has the words “Fear” and “God” tattooed in red on his forearms, a message that can be seen by offensive players when he stretches his 7-foot wingspan to stop passes and disrupt dribbles. Oubre ranks second in the league in deflections per game (4.5), defined as a “hustle statistic” by NBA.com, which places him higher than more established defenders such as all-stars Paul George (4.3) and Jimmy Butler (3.8).

“When we’re active with our hands, we can be long defenders and we get a lot of deflections with Otto, Brad and John, and our perimeter guys can do that,” Brooks said. “But it’s the deflections that are the gambles that I don’t like, and [Oubre] has kind of minimized those over this season. Last season, he was gambling a little too much. But I think the game has slowed down on both ends for him. We need him to be active and engaged defensively.”

The Morris injury allowed the Wizards to see how pairing Oubre and Porter can work for long stretches. Morris may be returning to the starting lineup, but Washington can — and should — still make room for “Junior ball.”

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“We definitely will see that but we definitely will see Keef at the five,” Brooks said. “The league is so small now and there’s so many smaller players on the court at the same time that allows you to [switch] on defense. But I’m happy with where we are right now. If Keef gets in game shape pretty quickly, that’s a decision that we’re going to have to make. But right now the minutes are going to be fine.”

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