Philadelphia 76ers: Keep an eye on Otto Porter Jr. in the Finals

The Philadelphia 76ers have some serious decisions to make this offseason in regards to their fifth starter.

Will they target a traditional small forward despite a pretty significant lack of promising depth at the position in this year’s free agent class? Or what about another combo forward to play alongside Tobias Harris, specifically one who can shoot 3s and take some of the rebounding weight off of Joel Embiid’s shoulders?

Goodness, could the Sixers throw any hopes of fielding a traditionally sized starting lineup out the window and embrace talent over height by pursuing a supremely talented player like Gary Payton II on the MLE? The presence of GP2 would certainly make it easier to move off of Matisse Thybulle, who could probably net the team a notable upgrade at another position of need.

Well, if the Philadelphia 76ers want to at least try to pursue a frontcourt with three players measuring in at 6-foot-6 or taller, there are plenty of semi-intriguing options worth investigating, even if none are the sort of ‘Danny Green but taller’ Daryl Morey and company would surely love to sign for $6ish million per year. One of them just so happens to still be playing in the NBA Finals now; a player who weirdly shares a striking resemblance to a Philadelphia-born Hall of Famer.

Otto Porter Jr. could serve as a steady stopgap forward for the Philadelphia 76ers.

When the Washington Wizards drafted Otto Porter Jr. third overall out of Georgetown, it was to be the final piece of a homegrown Big 3.

On paper, it made sense; Porter was a big, long 6-foot-8 forward who could play all three forward positions, space the floor as a 3-and-D specialist, and even handle the ball a little bit both as a slashing scorer and as an auxiliary passer. Playing off of the dynamic backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, Porter became a legitimate contributor for the Wizards by his third professional season and, after averaging 12.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on 40.5 percent shooting from deep from 2015-17, was handed a four-year, $106.5 million extension thanks to a matched offer sheet from Brooklyn.

And yet, despite turning in his best season as a pro in 2017-18, a slow start to 2018-19 gave the Wizards buyer’s remorse on his massive extension, and thus, he was shipped off to Chicago for Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker, and a second round pick to turn a two and a half year commitment into a pair of expiring contracts.

Since then, Porter turned in some unremarkable seasons in Chicago, was traded to Orlando with Wendell Carter Jr. and two first round draft picks for Al-Farouq Aminu and Nikola Vučević, and ultimately landed in Golden State on a one-year, veteran minimum contract in the hopes of winning a title before he turns 30.

Sidebar: Yes, you read that correctly; despite being in the NBA for nine years, Porter just turned 29 and could theoretically play the entire 2022-23 season at that age, too, if he ends up playing for a non-playoff team.

Has Porter been good for the Warriors? Sort of, yeah; though he hasn’t usurped a starting forward spot away from Draymond Green or Andrew Wiggins, his minutes have been a net positive at both ends of the court. Despite a relatively light workload of just 22.2 minutes per game during the regular season, Porter had the 72nd-highest WAR of any player in the NBA at 4.8, according to FiveThirtyEight, sandwiched between Jusuf Nurkic and Jarred Vanderbilt.

Is Porter an attractive addition? No, he isn’t a Philly-born slam dunk champion like Derrick Jones Jr., a Philly-born enforcer like Marcus Morris, or a native of Philly at all, period. But what Porter can do, and do well, is hit 3s, play defense, and switch across multiple positions as a low usage, off-ball player.

Considering the Sixers’ current needs, that doesn’t sound too shabby on the MLE.

If the Philadelphia 76ers want to make a splash, either by signing an excitingly risky project on the MLE or by executing a major, roster-reshaping trade, they have enough assets to do so. Daryl Morey has a few moveable draft picks, matching money, and a few intriguing players that other teams may pay a premium to acquire. If, however, the team wants to keep those assets for a rainy day and sign a steady veteran performer to help steward along a young forward like E.J. Liddell selected with pick 23, well, Otto Porter Jr. should be on that list alongside Nicolas Batum, Danuel House, and maybe even T.J. Warren.