BIRTHDAY: June 3, 1993 (age 25)
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6’8”; 198 lb
HOMETOWN: Sikeston, Missouri
CAREER THUS FAR: Swingman Otto Porter Jr. has spent the entirety of his basketball career in the Washington, D.C. Area thus far. After spending two seasons playing college basketball at Georgetown University (where he was named Big East Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All American), Porter was drafted third overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Wizards. Porter spent his first two seasons getting used to the league, as the young forward battled injuries and played in just 37 games in his first year and beginning to see the court more in his second season. Porter really started hitting his stride in his third season, as he became an important player on a Wizards team featuring John Wall and Bradley Beal.
Porter Jr. averaged 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game on a Wizards team that made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2016-17, losing a closely contested series in seven games to the Boston Celtics. Porter came up big in Game 7, dropping 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to get the Wizards over the hump to the Eastern Conference Finals.
This season, the Wizards have struggled, posting a 22-32 record as the team struggled with injuries, including to Porter Jr., as he missed a stretch of 10 games in December due to a right knee injury. Porter should get a chance to get consistent minutes on a Bulls team and slots in well as a versatile small forward who can both help out on the boards and hit the three pointer at a decent clip.
FUN FACT: Porter grew up in a small town with a population of just 72 in Missouri, and didn’t play on the AAU circuit growing up. He wasn’t extensively recruited out of high school and chose Georgetown over Missouri after his recruiting visit to D.C. - which also marked the first time he had ever been on a plane. (Washington Post)