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Getty Golden State Warriors forward Otto Porter Jr reacts after hitting a three during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
There’s bouncing back from a disappointing loss, then there’s what the Golden State Warriors did to the Chicago Bulls on Friday. And while just about everyone was firing on all cylinders, rookie forward Jonathan Kuminga stole the show by dropping 25 points in 25 minutes and putting on a defensive exhibition.
After the game, teammate Andrew Wiggins raved about the No. 7 overall pick, saying, “He’s an athlete. He can jump out the gym. He’s fast. He’s strong as s***.”
While it was Kuminga that captured the headlines with his incredible output, though, another Warriors forward was perhaps equally impactful with his all-around effort in the game. Namely, Otto Porter, who didn’t even hit double figures as a scorer but nonetheless managed to fill up the box score.
In just 19 minutes of action, Porter logged nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. It’s a line that has been matched or exceeded by just four other players league-wide this season. However, just two of them managed it without committing a turnover and only Porter did so while playing less than 30 minutes.
Porter Continues to Look Like the Steal of the Summer
It wasn’t that long ago that Porter was essentially making max money as a member of the Washington Wizards. However, foot and back injuries so impacted his career trajectory that the Warriors were able to sign him for the veteran’s minimum during the offseason.
That move may just rival the Celtics’ signing of Dennis Schroeder and/or the Suns getting a resurgent JaVale McGee as the value bet of the summer.
As of this writing, Porter is averaging 8.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in just 21.2 minutes per game. Meanwhile, his effective field goal percentage checks in at 57.5, a number that is right in line with the marks that netted him that big-money deal with the Wiz.
Going beyond the individual numbers, though, the Warriors have just been better when Porter has been on the floor. Golden State is plus-157 in his 763 minutes of action this season. It’s a number that trails only Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Jordan Poole.
Also — four of the Warriors’ top seven, five-man line-up combinations (minimum 24 minutes) in terms of net rating include Porter.
Not bad for a guy who is the 10th highest-paid player on the team and 326th league-wide, eh?
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Porter’s Teammates Have Taken Note
He may not be getting a lot of ink, but Porter’s Warriors teammates know full well the measure of his impact this season. For his part, Green has been taken aback by the 28-year-old’s drive and talent.
“Otto Porter, huge shots, but not only that, Otto all year, has been incredible on the glass and for someone that they said was a lousy defender, he’s been one of the better defenders on our team,” he said after the Warriors’ Christmas Day win over the Suns.
“You can’t say enough about how that guy is stepping up to the challenge and answering the bell night after night after night.”
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Source: Heavy
