Sixers: Otto Porter Jr.’s Length Fits Their Equation

Otto Porter Jr. is set to be one of free agency’s more sought after wings, and the Philadelphia 76ers could benefit greatly from his talents.

With the cap ceiling continuing to rise under the new CBA, free agents of Otto Porter’s ilk will continue to prove prominant during the offseason. After a breakout season, Porter’s increased production has put him on pace for a substantial pay raise — one that could creep into max contract territory given the current state of NBA salary caps.

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And while he likely won’t peak that high monetarily, Porter’s skill set warrants a gaudy perception in today’s league. He has developed into an elite spot-up shooter this season, finding his spots with increased proficiency on the offensive end and hitting from deep at a 43.4 percent clip — sizable growth for a player who struggled with his shot coming into the league.

He also benefits a team defensively, where his rangy wingspan allows him to switch around the court with ease, increasing his team’s two-way flexibility. He emerged as the Wizards’ most important asset outside of John Wall and Bradley Beal this year, and is the type of tertiary offensive option who could thrive if placed into the Philadelphia 76ers‘ system.

At face value, Porter’s shooting — which has rised steadily throughout he career prior to this season’s culmination — provides immediate benefits. This is a Sixers squad that took threes at a high volume yet failed to convert at a comparable rate, with Joel Embiid‘s interior presence lacking the proper spacing on the exterior. With Ben Simmons and, potentially, another guard entering the mix via the draft, the Sixers’ playmaking capacity is bound to increase. That signifies a need for improved shooting.

The gravity of Porter’s shot would help open up more room for Simmons to probe the interior while also gifting Embiid a more significant secondary threat on the perimeter. Porter has evolved into a player who recquires consistent defensive focus, and that limits the opposition’s options when deciding how to contain an Embiid-Simmons headed rotation.

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Where Porter’s value spikes, though, is with his length — especially on the defensive end. While not considered an elite defender, Porter has shown off strong defensive chops at the NBA level. His length gives him the aforementioned ability to switch seamlessly between positions when needed, while also yielding a significant advantage when he’s playing the passing lanes and looking to alter shots in isolation.

The Sixers are a team predicated on not only defensive hustle, but defensive mobility. Even with limited pieces last season, Embiid provided the basis for one of the league’s more terrorizing defensive schemes. He gave Brown the option to corral drives towards the middle of the paint, where Embiid’s presence alone was enough to throw offenses off kilter. He also showed prowess when switching onto the perimeter and covering the paint extended, which allowed the Sixers to be more creative in their use of players like Robert Covington on that side of the ball.

Porter — entering the rotation alongside Simmons — gifts them another defender whose athletic tools can offer the Sixers more versatility. He has the ability to play the four in small ball rotations, protecting the rim when helping while guarding quicker stretch fours with his ranginess and lateral mobility.

That could also translate to a quality small ball rotation, allowing him to man the frontcourt alongside Simmons and Covington without entirely losing their rim protection. In the most ideal of scenarios, they could leverage his presence in a manner similar to how Golden State utilizes Kevin Durant.

While working through the minutes load for both Porter and Covington — assuming they still sign Covington to an extension — could prove challenging, the potential may be worth it. This is a Sixers team that has the two-way foundation needed to compete for an extended period of time in a league dominated by high-powered offenses.

Positional versatility and the ability to play fluidly within a scheme are necessities for modern day success, and that’s precisely the benefit Porter brings to the table. While he may seem overpaid in relation to his previous production, that’s the state of today’s financial outlook. Porter helps the team in a number of ways, and that ties — in large part — back to his length.

Next: 3 Reasons Why Robert Covington Starts in 2017-18

He’s worth a good, long look in free agency.