Otto Porter’s big game in Orlando was several months in the making
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Did you see this coming? (David Manning-USA TODAY Sports)
ORLANDO – Otto Porter’s improved confidence and comfort as he adjusts to a rapid-moving NBA game started to become evident long before he made two huge three pointers last month against Memphis, scored nine points in just six minutes last week against Boston, or provided the game-altering alley-oop dunk and game-saving tip-in on Friday in the
Wizards’ 96-86 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Veteran Al Harrington said he noticed a difference in Porter shortly after the all-star break in February. Some heated trash talk from fellow rookie Glen Rice Jr. during a three-on-three game got Porter so fired up that the third overall pick from Georgetown hasn’t been the same.
“He was challenging Otto a lot. And Otto was stepping up to the challenge and it seems like he brought something out of Otto, to me,” Harrington said. “One thing I can say Glen definitely brought positive to our team is he kind of brought Otto out of his shell and he’s starting to build confidence. That’s when I saw the change. Every time, he was attacking, trying to score the ball. Before, he was way more passive.”
After playing the best game of his young career, with nine points and nine rebounds off the bench, Porter admitted that he probably wouldn’t have been able to make that kind of contribution to the team a few months ago. He was trying to read the game but the pages were moving like an animated flip-book and he was also struggling to find a niche on a team where minutes were sparsely dispersed to players with limited experience.
“Definitely the more I play, the more I’ve learned and the more the season has gone on, the more I get comfortable,” he said. “It would be tough when I first came back, to have a game like this, because I didn’t know as much as I do now.”
Beal added: “He’s not the same Otto he was the first day he started training camp or the first day he got in a game.”
The most important lesson Porter has learned over the past few weeks is that the quickest way to earn an extended spot on the bench is to enter a game not looking to leave an imprint.