Otto Porter Jr.’s status for NBA Finals will be essential to Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have had immense success so far this postseason, having taken a commanding 3-0 lead on the Dallas Mavericks Sunday.
One player that has been a vital part of their dominance is Otto Porter Jr., who signed with the team this past offseason. Picking Porter Jr. up for the veteran’s minimum was one of the best moves general manager Bob Myers has done in the past few seasons.
The Golden State Warriors are looking likely to have Otto Porter Jr. in Game 4, and his status for the NBA Finals seems questionable as well.
Porter Jr. played in Game 3 but was ruled out after exiting in the second quarter. He had X-rays, but per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, they were negative.
Porter Jr. is dealing with left foot soreness. He’s considered doubtful for Game 4, so it would be shocking to see him take the court. This could certainly be a lingering injury that hampers Porter Jr. throughout the rest of the postseason.
His availability will be crucial for the Warriors if/when they make it to the NBA Finals. Porter Jr.’s shooting was among the reasons he was brought to the Bay Area, but his rebounding has been just as important to an undersized Warriors team.
Porter Jr. is averaging 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game this postseason in just 20.7 minutes. He’s had 5 games, two this series, in which he’s grabbed 5 or more rebounds. It’s been an impressive stretch of play for the veteran forward.
The real concern comes more so in pain management. “Porter tried to play through the pain, but called to be subbed out just a few moments later,” Andrews wrote. She also noted that Porter Jr. missed Game 6 against the Grizzlies with right foot soreness.
Porter Jr. shot 37% from deep during the regular season and over 46% from the field. His efficiency coupled with his ability to space the court is important for the Warriors, especially when Stephen Curry isn’t on the court.
The Warriors are 64 points better than their opponent with Porter Jr. on the court over the past two series.
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There doesn’t seem to be much risk that he could miss the NBA Finals, but this injury isn’t one that deals well with short turn-around times, so it’ll be interesting if Porter Jr. is able to give it ago as the Finals should be set to start early next week.