Otto Porter Part 2

[dckingsfan]

I think the only thing unsustainable about Porter's playoff performance is his 3 point %. I mean obviously nobody sustains 50% shooting from 3. But if he's even respectable from 3 which I think he will be, that'll just make his game even more imposing.

Wildly optimistic but - I think he could become a career 40%er...

[nate33]

I think the only thing unsustainable about Porter's playoff performance is his 3 point %. I mean obviously nobody sustains 50% shooting from 3. But if he's even respectable from 3 which I think he will be, that'll just make his game even more imposing.

Wildly optimistic but - I think he could become a career 40%er...

Agreed. It'll depend on his role as a 3-point shooter. If it's just to stand behind the arc and wait for kick-outs, a la Trevor Ariza, he may indeed be a 40% shooter at his peak. If he's ask to shoot more contested 3's in the face of defensive attention, a la Beal, then he probably won't reach 40%.

[stevemcqueen1]

On threes where he catches the ball with his feet set, I think he'll be at 40% in a year or two. That's what will matter for him. I don't think he'll ever be a knockdown guy that can take them off the bounce or run off a screen or two and catch and shoot them on the move like Beal or Korver. I don't see that ever being his role. There are probably less than five SFs that routinely do that.

[hands11]

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400793783

Otto playoff career high.

17 pts 9 rebounds 4 assists 1 steal

Maybe he can be a baby Pippen

That's outstanding for a 21 year old in his first playoffs.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400793783

Otto playoff career high.

17 pts 9 rebounds 4 assists 1 steal

Maybe he can be a baby Pippen

That's outstanding for a 21 year old in his first playoffs.

Baby Pippen. Mary Poppins. Doesn't matter who we compare him to ... Because he's mudder farkin Otto Porter.

[hands11]

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400793783

Otto playoff career high.

17 pts 9 rebounds 4 assists 1 steal

Maybe he can be a baby Pippen

That's outstanding for a 21 year old in his first playoffs.

Baby Pippen. Mary Poppins. Doesn't matter who we compare him to ... Because he's mudder farkin Otto Porter.

And its awesome when the crowd starts chanting his name. Anything that crowd can rarely around like that is a good thing.

In time, maybe we can develop are real home court thing here.

[theboomking]

Porter has been so good in these playoffs. Beal has also affected the games with his rebounding and passing and defense, but has been less efficient on offense. I am not sure which player has made more impact for us. If you had only watched these playoffs, would you guys say Porter is current the better player than Beal, or just that Beal is asked to do more on offense and that affects his efficiency?

[nate33]

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400793783

Otto playoff career high.

17 pts 9 rebounds 4 assists 1 steal

Maybe he can be a baby Pippen

That's outstanding for a 21 year old in his first playoffs.

He tied or led the team last night in minutes, points, rebounds and steals. He was 3rd in assists. And he committed no turnovers. I continue to be amazed at what a "plus player" he is. They don't need to run any plays for him. He just finds ways to contribute in a positive manner every game without ever taking possessions away from others.

Porter played 40 minutes in Game 3! Off the bench! Wittman can't take him off the floor.

[nate33]

Porter has been so good in these playoffs. Beal has also affected the games with his rebounding and passing and defense, but has been less efficient on offense. I am not sure which player has made more impact for us. If you had only watched these playoffs, would you guys say Porter is current the better player than Beal, or just that Beal is asked to do more on offense and that affects his efficiency?

I agree that it's hard to compare. Beal has been forced outside of his comfort zone and has had to pick up the playmaking slack for Wall. It's pretty impressive that he's done as well as he has, but it clearly isn't his forte.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Porter pans out better than Beal. It seems like Porter, when playing with confidence, can do just about anything. In a year or so, could he be a primary ball handler? It's possible.

[stevemcqueen1]

Porter has been so good in these playoffs. Beal has also affected the games with his rebounding and passing and defense, but has been less efficient on offense. I am not sure which player has made more impact for us. If you had only watched these playoffs, would you guys say Porter is current the better player than Beal, or just that Beal is asked to do more on offense and that affects his efficiency?

Beal is better than Porter. Porter is excelling but in a much, much smaller role. Otto's usage rate of 13.4% is tiny, one of the lowest numbers on the team. Beal's is at 26 in the playoffs, which is the highest on the team, higher than Wall's.

Beal has been the go to scorer plus he's been running point and making plays for the bigs. Otto has been a fifth option. There is no way that Otto could handle that kind of role right now. I'm amazed that Beal is handling it as well as he has. The fact that he's been swimming instead of sinking and doesn't seem intimidated at all bodes really well for his and our future. He's got killer instincts and he's going to be an All Star pretty soon.

[theboomking]

McQueen, I think I agree? I think in a low utilization role Beal would look extremely efficient. I don't think his rebounding or defense is as impactful as that of Porter, but his passing and Ball handling is better. The fact that we are winning in the second round of the playoffs with Beal playing such a large role, as such a young player, speaks to his ability to have impact beyond his TS% and PER.

Ditto Porter. The most encouraging development for our future to come out of this whole year may be the emergence of Porter. Having a legitimate young star at PG, and legitimate 2nd round playoff caliber players at SG and SF gives you a chance to field a championship caliber team, if you can add a few pieces, or one star.

[dckingsfan]

When does this stop being a small sample size?

[queridiculo]

Quite the pedigree.

Some of Porter's background I wasn't aware off:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Porter

His father, Otto Porter, Sr., was part of Scott County Central High School's first title in 1976 and holds the high school record with 1,733 rebounds. His mother Elnora Porter (née Timmons) was named all-state in 1985 and bought a basketball for her son before he even started walking. Porter Jr. comes from a tradition of well-rounded players coached by Ronnie Cookson, a high school basketball coach who retired in 1995 after winning 12 state titles but was brought back as a coach at the urging of Porter's father.[4] Otto Porter's uncles Marcus Timmons "Missouri Mr. Basketball 91", Melvin Porter, and Jerry Porter have also won state titles. First cousin Calvin Porter, Jr. was one of three Porters to start for the high school's championship team in 2011. His cousin Mark Mosely was the starting point guard for the Braves in 1990 and 1991 when they won state championships. His cousins Corey and Reece Porter[5] helped Sikeston High School win its first state title in its first undefeated season. His cousin Michael Porter was a former four-time all-state basketball player for Sikeston High School.[6] His cousin and former teammate Bobby Hatchett played for Midland College, which played for the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship. The Porter family had a member on the Braves' first 11 state championship teams.[7][8]

[Illmatic12]

When does this stop being a small sample size?

So far in the playoffs Porter is averaging 11ppg/8rpg/2apg/1spg on 59.5 TS%, with a 17 PER.

The only area he's maybe playing over his head is the 45% 3pt shooting, outside of that I don't see anything he's doing that isn't sustainable. The guy hustles nonstop, makes great cuts to get himself open, knocks down spot up threes. And he has looong arms which allow him to pull down rebounds and make defensive plays that most wing players aren't able to.


His game logs even throughout the regular season are a pretty large sample size, any time he gets starters minutes he produces like a starter:

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/2594922/otto-porter-jr

Instead of being worried that Porter may not be good enough, I'm inclined to start wondering just how good he actually could be. He already looks like a high-level 3&D wing at age 21, but his scoring touch indicates a ceiling that is far beyond a typical 3&D glue guy. His length is a huge asset in his ability to score inside/outside, just needs the strength and aggressiveness to go with it. In fact I could see Otto being not just a good SF but a borderline All-Star on the level of Caron, Luol Deng, guys like that. His offensive ceiling is far above 11-12ppg, it's up to him to put the work in.

[nate33]

In fact I could see Otto being not just a good SF but a borderline All-Star on the level of Caron, Luol Deng, guys like that. His offensive ceiling is far above 11-12ppg, it's up to him to put the work in.

And he will.

I think he could pan out to be 90% of what Kawhi Leonard is; and that's a really, really good thing. I love how Leonard brings things to the table without taking anything away. Porter does that too.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Porter has been so good in these playoffs. Beal has also affected the games with his rebounding and passing and defense, but has been less efficient on offense. I am not sure which player has made more impact for us. If you had only watched these playoffs, would you guys say Porter is current the better player than Beal, or just that Beal is asked to do more on offense and that affects his efficiency?

I would trade Beal before I would trade Porter.

[hands11]

Porter has been so good in these playoffs. Beal has also affected the games with his rebounding and passing and defense, but has been less efficient on offense. I am not sure which player has made more impact for us. If you had only watched these playoffs, would you guys say Porter is current the better player than Beal, or just that Beal is asked to do more on offense and that affects his efficiency?

I agree that it's hard to compare. Beal has been forced outside of his comfort zone and has had to pick up the playmaking slack for Wall. It's pretty impressive that he's done as well as he has, but it clearly isn't his forte.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Porter pans out better than Beal. It seems like Porter, when playing with confidence, can do just about anything. In a year or so, could he be a primary ball handler? It's possible.

Quality problem if it works out like that.

Three young players that have talent and none of them have peaked yet. Though Wall is getting close.

And all are solid young men that are frachise material.

I have one major beef with Otto at this point...

Dude. Make the front end of your FTs. Dude like clock work missing the first and makes the 2nd. And he is shooting .417 from the line. Now that can change quickly because is such low value. Which is another thing to improve on.

No hating at all. Just saying. Come on Otto. Get that worked out already. You should be hitting FTs.

[fishercob]

In fact I could see Otto being not just a good SF but a borderline All-Star on the level of Caron, Luol Deng, guys like that. His offensive ceiling is far above 11-12ppg, it's up to him to put the work in.

And he will.

I think he could pan out to be 90% of what Kawhi Leonard is; and that's a really, really good thing. I love how Leonard brings things to the table without taking anything away. Porter does that too.

Too funny. I was just thinking last night about Ariza's exit interview with the DC media last summer (before free agency). He starts off with some unsolicited praise for Otto at 1:40, and then lauds Otto's work ethic at 9:00. Found the post in part one of the thread.

Found Ariza's comments: http://www.monumentalnetwork.com/videos ... rview-2014" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Check around 1:40. I love how he mentions Otto unsolicted, with a twinkle in his eye, no less. He has some complementary words about Otto again around 900 or so.

I wish we had kept him but am excited for what Otto will bring.

[stevemcqueen1]

McQueen, I think I agree? I think in a low utilization role Beal would look extremely efficient. I don't think his rebounding or defense is as impactful as that of Porter, but his passing and Ball handling is better. The fact that we are winning in the second round of the playoffs with Beal playing such a large role, as such a young player, speaks to his ability to have impact beyond his TS% and PER.

Ditto Porter. The most encouraging development for our future to come out of this whole year may be the emergence of Porter. Having a legitimate young star at PG, and legitimate 2nd round playoff caliber players at SG and SF gives you a chance to field a championship caliber team, if you can add a few pieces, or one star.

Yeah we agree. Although I think I'm a little higher on Beal than you. I don't want the team to diminish his role, I want them to continue pushing him. I don't really care about his TS% and PER right now, I want his usage to stay high and I want him to continue playing with a go-to mentality. As a young player, he's in the phase where it's much more important for him to grow his game than it is to put up good efficiency numbers through playing lesser roles.

I think he's going to be that second star you are searching for. I think the talent and the leadership qualities are there and it's just a matter of waiting on him to grow into his potential. I think he could be a borderline All Star that gets in if the team record is really good next season. By his age 23 season, I think he'll be a legitimate All Star. That's about when John made the leap to that level of play. John probably would have made it his age 22 season if he hadn't missed the first half of the year with that injury, but definitely by 23 he was a legit All Star. And by age 24 he was starting.

One thing that's undersold about Beal is the organization's commitment to developing him. It's been 100% commitment since day one, just like it was for John. This is huge for a young super talent. He's gotten to play through his mistakes and has been challenged to grow by a constantly expanding role. The team is pushing him into stardom and he's responded well to it. He's a tough kid with this great edge to him that makes him spectacular when he gets angry and dialed in.

The only thing that I can see holding Beal back is injury. Or if Kevin Durant comes here and drastically reduces Beal's usage and stunts his development. You can't do anything about the first problem. The second problem isn't actually a problem.

[stevemcqueen1]

In fact I could see Otto being not just a good SF but a borderline All-Star on the level of Caron, Luol Deng, guys like that. His offensive ceiling is far above 11-12ppg, it's up to him to put the work in.

I could see this too. One thing that I felt separated Otto from the other young highly talented SFs that came into the league since 2010 was the quality of his scoring instincts. Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, and Paul George are obviously better overall players than Otto right now. But I don't know that they were better prospects. Each of them had to grow into the role of a volume scorer over time, and I'm still not sure that any of them have scoring instincts as good as Otto's. This was the first season I felt like I saw things start to click for Kawhi and Butler as scorers, and even still, I see a lot of hesitancy about scoring in their play that you just don't get from a born scorer.

Otto definitely knows when and how to score and he also came into the league with a built in mid range game that gives him rare value . Usually that's the last thing to develop. The only issue is Otto is probably never going to get the chance to be much of a volume scorer here. He'll never be more than a third option behind Wall and Beal when they are healthy.