Grunfeld Gives Porter the Truth

          The signing of Paul Pierce has caused a mass hysteria of conjecture here in DC.  Pierce’s arrival, coupled with Trevor Ariza’s departure to the salary tax Shangri-La that is Houston, had Wizards fans immediately assessing whether or not Pierce could replace Ariza’s production on both ends of the court.  Once they figured out that Ariza had the best statistical season of his career last year (35.4 min, 14.4 pts, 6.2 reb, 2.5 asst.), and Pierce had his worst (28.0 min, 13.5 pts, 4.6 reb, 2.4 asst.), and they were more or less identical with Pierce averaging seven less minutes per game, people became a little less anxious.  But that was merely prima facie analysis used to provide instant fodder for the talking heads.  Wizards fans began to do their best Dave Kujan impression when the bigger picture came into focus.  Pierce’s contract allowed the Wizards to offer Kevin Durant a max contract in two years.  The Homecoming Part 2 set in DC starring Kevin Durant was already being written and it was all thanks to the Paul Pierce signing.  Pierce’s signing, though, may have more intangible significance to this team in the short term, especially in the development of Otto Porter.  Porter saw limited time last season due to injury and an unexpected boon of small forward talent on the roster, but Pierce could provide Porter with the tutelage he needs to become a key contributor to the Wizards in the future. 

          This idea of Pierce being a mentor to Otto Porter comes from the fact that they have similar styles of play.  Both are well rounded players who use basketball IQ rather than raw athleticism to break down their opponents.  Evidence of this can be seen in their sophomore year stats at Kansas and Georgetown.  Comparing stats between these two players is hard due to Porter’s small professional sample size and Pierce playing a third year of college ball that made his career stats at Kansas more imposing, but a comparison of their sophomore year stats looks like this:

   Pierce = 28.1 min, 48.8 FG%, 16.3 pts, 6.8 reb , 2.1 asst

   Porter = 35.4 min, 48.0 FG%, 16.2 pts, 7.5 rebs, 2.7 asst

 These stats are nearly identical except for the minutes, and within those minutes is where Pierce’s mentorship could help Otto Porter.  The knock on Porter has been that he can be too passive at times and waste offensive possessions because he has trouble creating scoring chances.  Passive has never been a word to describe Paul Pierce.  It is that fierce competitiveness coupled with Pierce’s ability to create his own shots, both off the dribble and in the post, that can help Otto Porter develop into the player the Wizards expected when they drafted him third overall in 2013.  Their similar style of play may allow for a small learning curve that can allow Otto Porter to emulate Pierce’s ability to create his own shot, create chances off the dribble, and draw fouls in the post.  This mentorship opportunity is what Ernie Grunfeld may have had in mind when he pursued Pierce in the first place.

          It is nice to have a small forward that can fill the void left by Trevor Ariza, and it is nice to save future cap space to try and sign Durant in 2016, but having Paul Pierce as a mentor in invaluable.  Grunfeld knows that he needs Otto Porter to be a part of the long term plan for the Washington Wizards.  That entails having Porter evolve as a basketball player, and who better to facilitate that evolution than a player with an identical playing style, superior skills, and a wealth of NBA wisdom to impart on the young mind of Otto Porter.  Paul Pierce’s narrative in Washington is already being linked to whether or not he can adequately fill Trevor Ariza’s shoes (and doesn’t that seem insulting to someone like Paul Pierce?).  What the narrative should be is whether or not he can help Otto Porter become a more complete basketball player by helping him develop a more dynamic offensive game.  If Pierce fails to do this in the next two years, there’s always a chance we can get Kevin Durant to come home.