Dark Faze wrote:Unpopular opinion: Porter could be better than Beal with enough minutes this year. More efficient and a better defender.
Pierce is super solid so I know why he isn't starting, but it's time to start seeing what we can do to get him going more.
He won't be better than Beal any time soon. Otto is a comparable talent to Beal IMO, but ultimately Beal is a little bit bigger talent. He's a little more athletic than Porter and is a better pure shooter. They're actually pretty similar though, such that I've always felt like Porter is something of a SF version of Beal. Both are high skill players with very smooth games. Both are deceptively excellent athletes. Both smart, extremely instinctive, both good at all aspects of their positions such that there are no major flaws to their game.
Also Beal has the benefit of a TON more experience given they're the same age. Beal got the benefit of having zero competition for minutes at his position as a rookie. His development got fast-tracked from day one and he is going through a growth process right now that Otto is a long ways away from. Otto is still competing to get on the floor and hold down a regular spot in the rotation right now. Beal has gotten to the point now where he's an aggressive and fundamental part of the offense each game now. He's learning how to trigger the offense and be the go to shooter. Otto is a long way from having that kind of responsibility.
To say that Otto can be better than Beal this season means you're taking a very limited view of what "better" means. Saying someone is better at performing in their vastly lesser role doesn't mean a lot in a 1:1 comparison. For example, Kyle Korver is a better 3 and D wing than Russell Westbrook is a first option star-usage PG, but no one in their right minds would claim Korver is better than Westbrook.
Otto is never going to have as large a role as Beal for this team. Beal is going to be a first or second option high volume scorer eventually. Unless we get Durant. In which case Otto's role would be even lesser too. If we don't get Durant, Otto's best case scenario here is as a third option scorer that will play primarily as a 3 and D wing. Granted, he'll be more than just a three and D wing, because he'll be able to get baskets for himself and score in good volume without having plays run for him. He'll score a lot of hustle buckets because that's a big part of his game. And he will do some shot creation and playmaking for line ups because it's a strong part of his repertoire.
But supplanting Beal and becoming a high volume scorer and the first or second option for the team... I just don't see that potential in Otto.