Wizards coach says he told Porter to shoot more
Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks had plenty of nice things to say about Otto Porter Jr. before Saturday's game, but he did find fault with the new Bulls forward.
Apparently, Porter needed to be told to shoot more often.
"I finally did (solve that), but I'm not going to tell anybody now," Brooks said with a laugh. "That's Jim's issue. But he's definitely going to have to tell him he needs more shots out of him.
"Otto is very comfortable. And that's what you have to get out of him. You need more shots. He's a great shooter. And you want your best shooters shooting a lot."
Porter did open his Bulls career by hitting 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range in Brooklyn on Friday. It took him just 16 seconds to knock down his first jump shot at the United Center with the Bulls.
Asked if he should have shot it more in Washington, Porter said no.
"I feel like I'm a total basketball player," Porter said. "I do many things well and for me, just being able to play to my potential."
Porter was also asked if he felt underappreciated in Washington, where he was usually the third wheel behind Bradley Beal and John Wall.
"No, I felt like whatever I needed to do to help the team win, I did," he said.
Porter gets good report:
Scott Brooks' overall scouting report on Otto Porter Jr. was very complimentary. Porter was in his sixth season with the Wizards after being chosen with the No. 3 pick of the 2013 draft out of Georgetown.
"No. 1, you're getting an unbelievable person, a pro, just a true pro," Brooks said before the game. "Just comes in and does his job every day. Doesn't talk much, he's not even low. He's no maintenance at all, he's just going to come in and do his job.
"He didn't shoot the ball as well as he's going to shoot at the start of this year, but he's a low- to mid-40 percent 3-point shooter. He's one of the best shooters in the league. A great teammate and he's going to fit in well. … He's going to make a lot of 3s here."
Porter gets powerful:
In Washington, Otto Porter Jr. was known for having a quiet personality and given his situation, it was natural for him to take a back seat to Wizards teammates John Wall and Bradley Beal.
Bulls coach Jim Boylen wants Porter to be one of the leaders on his new team. He'll be the oldest player in the projected future starting lineup when Wendell Carter Jr. is healthy again.
"I think leadership has to come from everyone," Boylen said. "Everyone has a different style of leadership. His approach already is respected. His spirit is acknowledged. He's got a brightness about him and a care factor.
"When you have a guy in his second film session repeating what the coach is saying how we're going to do stuff - and we ask questions during our film session - and he's the guy answering already, it's powerful."