Wizards' forward Otto Porter Jr. provides steady emotion and dependable production on both ends of the floor, yet he's still being treated as the "third guy" on a stale Wizards' team in desperate need of a spark. Porter could be that spark, if given the chance.

The ball drops through the net differently for Wizards’ forward Otto Porter Jr. Forget the laws of physics. Porter shoots a Melo ball (named after Carmelo Anthony, of course)--a ball that splashes through the net without hitting iron and falls faster than the universally standard 9.8 meters per second squared. Whenever Porter shoots, passes, or just touches the ball, good things happen. Why, then, do the Wizards continue to perpetuate the narrative that Porter is D.C.’s “third guy”?

For all of Bradley Beal’s strengths and John Wall’s accolades, of which there are many, Porter is the player who regularly provides the Wizards’ volatile roster with steady emotion and efficient production. With consistent growth over Porter’s first five seasons (warranting a $106M max-contract this past offseason), the Wizards can only hope his ascension continues:

Per Game Table Season Age MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS 2013-14 20 8.6 0.9 2.5 .363 0.1 0.6 .190 0.8 1.9 .414 .385 0.2 0.3 .667 0.6 1.0 1.5 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.7 2.1 2014-15 21 19.4 2.4 5.3 .450 0.5 1.4 .337 1.9 3.9 .491 .495 0.8 1.1 .734 0.9 2.0 3.0 0.9 0.6 0.4 0.7 1.3 6.0 2015-16 22 30.3 4.5 9.6 .473 1.3 3.6 .367 3.2 6.0 .536 .541 1.3 1.7 .754 1.3 3.9 5.2 1.6 1.4 0.4 0.9 2.2 11.6 2016-17 23 32.6 5.2 10.0 .516 1.9 4.3 .434 3.3 5.8 .576 .608 1.2 1.5 .832 1.5 5.0 6.4 1.5 1.5 0.5 0.6 2.4 13.4 2017-18 24 31.8 5.8 11.5 .502 1.8 4.1 .437 4.0 7.4 .537 .579 1.4 1.7 .828 1.3 5.1 6.4 2.0 1.5 0.5 1.0 1.9 14.8 Career 26.4 4.1 8.4 .487 1.2 3.1 .403 2.9 5.4 .535 .560 1.1 1.4 .789 1.2 3.7 4.9 1.4 1.1 0.4 0.7 1.8 10.5 View Original Table Provided by Basketball-Reference.com

Beal and Wall undoubtedly provide the Wizards with elite playmaking talent and possess all-star production ceilings, but their lack of urgency, poor body language, and miserable clutch time execution leaves D.C. wanting, and needing, more. (Beal and Wall are shooting a combined 7 for 28 when the Wizards are ahead/trailing by three points or less with 30 seconds remaining, including 0 for 9 from beyond the arc).

Porter is capable of flipping this script on a team plagued by late-game collapses and poor clutch-time decision making; all he needs is the chance from head coach Scott Brooks and his all-star backcourt. (Porter has taken only two shots when the Wizards are ahead/trailing by three points or less with 30 seconds remaining).

During a particularly quiet stretch for Porter in January, Brooks questioned Porter’s desire to make things happen for himself: “We would like to see Otto get more [shots], but Otto needs to help himself get more." Wall added, “We just have to do a better job at getting Otto the ball, but he’s also gotta do a better job himself at just being aggressive when he gets it.” These statements describe a squad that doesn’t know how to use a “third guy”--a max-contract, efficient, and effective “third guy.” This is unfortunate.

D.C.’s “third guy” leads the Wizards in many traditional and advanced statistical categories, from offensive rating and defensive rating to win shares and true shooting percentage. However, Porter's usage rate (an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor) is significantly lower than the Wizards’ all-star guards':