Breaking Down How DeJuan Blair Will Help the Washington Wizards by Akbar Naqvi

Who says basketball isn’t exciting in July?

After being down by 17, it looked like the Washington Wizards’ summer league run would come to an end. Well, I was wrong.

Led by Glen Rice Jr. and Otto Porter, the Washington Wizards went on a 9-2 run in the third quarter, eventually retaking the lead late in the game. Unfortunately for Washington, they couldn’t capitalize on their late-game free throw chances and had to win the game the hard, yet exciting way.

Washington cranked up their defensive intensity and it was clear that Glen Rice Jr. wasn’t going to allow his team to go home with a loss that night. He knocked down tough shot after tough shot, including a ridiculous corner three point shot to send the game to triple overtime, where Otto Porter took control of the game and eventually led the team to a one-point win. From the looks of it, John Wall and Bradley Beal enjoyed Glen Rice Jr’s game-tying three point shot.

Glen Rice Jr. scored 36 points, including six three point shots, to go along side 11 rebounds in the game. At this point, I think it would be outrageous if Glen Rice Jr. didn’t win the NBA Summer League MVP Award. Even though Otto Porter has been very, very good, Glen Rice Jr. has consistently put up ridiculous numbers each and every game, so I’d give him the slight edge.

After the game, ‘Glen Rice Jr.’ was trending worldwide on Twitter. I think he’s starting to get noticed.

Now, let’s recap some of Otto Porter’s performance.

It’s not often that a player scores 27 points with 5 rebounds and 3 assists without getting much attention. That’s exactly what Otto Porter did last night against Kyle Anderson.

Otto Porter continued to play aggressive basketball throughout the game, knocking down multiple clutch three point shots to extend the game. We’ve seen Otto Porter attack the basket more in these past few games than he did the entire season last year with the Wizards. Porter also blocked Kyle Anderson’s shot on San Antonio’s final possession to win the game. He’s been very good in summer league, and if it wasn’t for Glen Rice Jr. playing the way he’s been playing, I think Otto Porter would be the favorite to win MVP.

Otto Porter and Glen Rice Jr. scored a combined 63 points of the team’s total 96. At times, they were the only players on the team that looked like they knew what was going on, which was shocking when considering how lost both players looked in their rookie seasons, especially Porter.

As much as I love Martell Webster, if Glen Rice Jr. and Otto Porter bring their confidence over to training camp and pre-season, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re a part of the rotation right out of the gate once the season begins. They’ve been that good.

Washington will continue on in the summer league bracket and will match up against the Sacramento Kings tonight at 8:00pm EST.