John Wall: Are the Washington Wizards Relying Too Heavily On The All-Star Point Guard? by Osman Baig

When the Washington Wizards drafted Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. with the number 3 pick in back-to-back years, the idea was to find two young franchise players to pair with their dynamic young point guard John Wall. It’s been a mixed bag so far. While Beal looks incredibly promising and is viewed as the shooting guard of the future, Porter is still a big question mark.

Otto Porter struggled through a disastrous rookie year where he battled a hip injury and appeared in 37 games, averaging 2.1 PPG. He looked poised to break out in his second year after an impressive showing in the Las Vegas Summer League, with fans envisioning him as a versatile bench threat who would thrive under the tutelage of Paul Pierce.

Porter started out well enough, averaging 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 50 FG% and 23.5 minutes per game in the month of November. Then, as I’m sure we all anticipated, Rasual Butler went on an absolute tear and snatched the sixth man role, relegating Porter to the end of the rotation.

A key reason for Otto Porter’s inconsistency is a lack of a clearly defined role.

To describe Otto Porter’s recent usage as inconsistent would be an understatement. His minutes will fluctuate between as many as 30 and as few as 0, with seemingly no rhyme or reason.

The Wizards have a glut of wing players behind Pierce with Porter and Butler joined by the returning Martell Webster, and Coach Randy Wittman has used all three as primary options off the bench.

But that may be changing, as Porter looks ready to snag a much bigger role.

Porter was featured heavily in recent games against the Suns and Lakers, and responded with two of his better games of the season, scoring 14 and 12 points on a combined 10-17 shooting, including 4-5 from three. And fortunately for Otto Porter, his sharp play has coincided with a dip in performance from his two competitors.

Rasual Butler has really come back down to earth after his hot start, which was inevitable. He hasn’t scored in double figures in 11 games, and he’s shooting a mere 33% from three in January. Martell Webster’s healthy return is great, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s been abysmal this season, shooting 24% from the field.

Otto Porter has become the obvious candidate to serve as the first wing off the bench. Butler and Webster are primarily used as three-point snipers, and Porter is shooting much better than them while adding energy, athleticism and defense. It’s well known that Wittman loves to play veterans, but he can’t ignore the fact that Porter has been outplaying them both.

Small forward will soon be an area of concern for the Wizards. Pierce is 37, Butler is 35, Webster has acknowledged that he’s likely to retire once his contract ends, and #KD2Dc is still a remote possibility.

The Wizards need to find out exactly what they have in Otto Porter.