It’s actually kind of wild how quickly the NBA memory fades. You mention Otto Porter Jr. stats to a casual fan today, and they might just remember a guy who got paid a ton of money to be, well, "fine." But if you actually looked at the numbers—the real, deep-dive efficiency metrics—you’d see a player who was essentially the prototype for the modern 3-and-D wing before his body just decided to call it quits.
Honestly, he was one of the few players in the league who could flirt with a 50/40/90 season without anyone really noticing.
He retired in early 2024 at just 30 years old. That's young. He should have been in his absolute prime right now, maybe helping a contender as a veteran floor-spacer. Instead, he walked away because his feet and back simply wouldn't let him play at an NBA level anymore. Let's get into what the numbers actually say about his eleven-year run, because there's a lot more there than just a box score.
The Peak Years: Efficiency That Felt Like a Glitch
When you look at the Otto Porter Jr. stats from his time with the Washington Wizards, specifically the 2016-17 season, it's pretty staggering. He averaged 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds, which sounds like "solid starter" territory. But look closer. He shot 43.4% from three that year.
He was fourth in the entire league in three-point percentage.
He wasn't just a specialist; he was an efficiency monster. According to ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus (RPM) back then, Porter was frequently ranked as one of the most impactful small forwards in the game. He didn't need the ball. He didn't soak up usage. He basically just stood in the right spot, made the right cut, and never, ever missed an open shot.
📖 Related: Cleveland Guardians vs Atlanta Braves Matches: Why This Interleague Rivalry Hits Different
The $106 Million Question
We have to talk about the contract because it defines how people view his stats. In 2017, the Brooklyn Nets offered him a four-year, $106.5 million max deal as a restricted free agent. The Wizards matched it.
Suddenly, Otto wasn't just a "really good role player." He was a "Max Player."
When you're making $26 million a year, people expect 25 points per game. Otto was never that guy. His career-high scoring average was 17.5 points per game, and that only happened during a brief, 15-game heater after he got traded to the Chicago Bulls in 2019. He was a ceiling-raiser, not a floor-raiser. If you put him on a bad team, he’d still just give you an efficient 14 points. He wasn't going to carry a franchise, and that mismatch between his paycheck and his "volume" stats made him a target for frustrated fans.
Why Otto Porter Jr. Stats Mattered for the 2022 Warriors
If you want to see the "Pure Otto" experience, look at the 2021-22 Golden State Warriors. He signed a veteran minimum contract ($2.4 million) because his market had cratered due to injuries.
It was the ultimate low-risk, high-reward move.
👉 See also: Cincinnati vs Oklahoma State Basketball: What Most People Get Wrong About This Big 12 Grind
During that championship run, he played 63 regular-season games—his most in years. He averaged 8.2 points and 5.7 rebounds. Doesn't sound like much? The Warriors were significantly better when he was on the floor. In the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, Steve Kerr even moved him into the starting lineup for the clinching Game 6.
His plus-minus was often through the roof because he did the "invisible" things:
- Deflecting passes with his 7-foot-1 wingspan.
- Crashing the glass from the perimeter.
- Hitting back-breaking transition threes.
He finished his career as a 39.7% career three-point shooter. That is elite. For context, that's a higher career percentage than many "specialists" who stayed in the league purely for their jumpers.
The Sad Reality of the "Did Not Play" Column
The most telling Otto Porter Jr. stats are the ones that don't show up in the box score: the games missed.
Between 2019 and 2024, he was basically a ghost.
✨ Don't miss: Chase Center: What Most People Get Wrong About the New Arena in San Francisco
- 2019-20: 14 games.
- 2020-21: 28 games.
- 2022-23: 8 games.
- 2023-24: 15 games.
By the time he got to Toronto on a two-year, $12.4 million deal, his foot was essentially held together by hope. He underwent season-ending surgery in January 2023, and that was pretty much the end of the road. When he was traded to the Utah Jazz in February 2024, he didn't even put on the jersey. He just retired.
It’s sort of a bummer. If he had stayed healthy, we’d be talking about one of the greatest role players of the 2010s. Instead, he’s a bit of a "what if" story.
What We Can Learn From the Career of Otto Porter Jr.
If you're a student of the game or just looking at how to evaluate talent, Otto's career is a masterclass in why "traditional" stats like PPG (Points Per Game) are lying to you.
True Shooting Percentage (TS%) and Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) are where Otto lived. His career eFG% of 55.5% is remarkably high for a wing who took nearly half of his shots from deep. He was the king of the "zero-dribble" jumper.
For fans and analysts, the takeaway is simple: availability is the most important stat. You can be the most efficient shooter in the world, but if your body can't handle the 82-game grind, the league moves on without you.
If you're looking to apply Otto’s style to your own game or your fantasy team evaluations, look for the "efficiency-to-usage" ratio. Players who can produce high-value points without needing the ball are the secret sauce of championship rosters. Otto proved that in Golden State, even if his 11-year journey ended sooner than any of us expected.
To understand the modern NBA, you have to look at players like Porter who maximized their impact per touch. You can track similar high-efficiency wings by looking into the "Corner 3" and "Defensive Win Shares" metrics on sites like Basketball-Reference. Paying attention to these often-overlooked numbers helps identify the next "impact" player who might not be a superstar but is definitely a winner.