Warriors’ Otto Porter Jr. put up a dud in loss to Denver Nuggets
The Golden State Warriors returned Andrew Wiggins from the league’s health and safety protocols just in time for their home matchup with the Denver Nuggets, one that resulted in a mere 3-point loss.
While the Dubs were down far more in the first and managed a comeback due to Denver’s 29 total second-half points, their bench was concerning, to say the least, a unit that’s been drastically above average for most of the season.
In a game in which they didn’t lead and were down 24, the Warriors lost by just 3, but it was no thanks to Otto Porter Jr. who struggled on Tuesday night.
The one player that’s consistently stepped up that struggled immensely was forward Otto Porter Jr., a former top-five that was surprisingly signed to a veteran’s minimum deal this past offseason.
Porter Jr. has become a staple of the Warriors’ second unit, and his shooting has provided a spark in many games this season, one reason he was allotted 26 minutes.
Against the Nuggets, his lack of involvement with the team short-handed a key two-way star in Draymond Green was debilitating. Green’s absence already hurt the team on both ends of the court. Jordan Poole missing another game as well caused further offensive hurdles.
Both of which weren’t helped by Porter Jr.’s play.
He managed to grab two rebounds and dish out two assists in a scoreless 26 minutes. He was 0-for-4 from the field and 0-for-1 from deep. His lone bright spot was the 3 steals he managed to rack up.
While it was far from just Porter Jr. who struggled to play at their season average, even Andre Iguodala and Nemanja Bjelica managed to get on the board, both playing fewer minutes than Porter Jr.
The Warriors ended up losing 89-86, so it was their offense that took a hit without their third-best scorer and top distributor. That’s where Porter Jr. who is nearing 40% from deep on the season needed to step up.
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Instead, head coach Steve Kerr gave rookie Jonathan Kuminga some quality minutes off the bench. With rotational spots ever-changing and consistently up for grabs, Porter Jr. will need to be better to maintain an impactful role on this roster.