Otto Porter loses Tony Snell on defense, just stands still and stares
There is an old basketball truism that defenders should not be caught ball-watching on defense. The idea is pretty simple — when guys focus on the ball, they lose sight of other offensive players and allow them to get open shots. Anyone with any experience in basketball does not need an example to prove the point.
Newcomers, though, could stand to learn a lot from the mistake Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter made in the final seconds of Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Then again, merely stating that Porter got caught ball-watching does not communicate the hilarity of whatever caused him to allow Tony Snell to get open.
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With the Bulls up 95-92 and just five seconds separating the shot and game clocks, the Wizards needed a stop to have any chance at sending the game to overtime. Not surprisingly, the Bulls waited a while to initiate any action in the half-court offense, and Snell made his move with 10 seconds on the shot clock. Porter must not have expected him to move at all, because he took his time in chasing him to the other side of the court. Keep an eye on the bottom left corner of the screen:
Let’s take a look on Vine, too, because a play this silly benefits from endless viewings:
By our estimate, Porter waited nearly three full seconds to chase Snell. Although the Bulls wing missed his shot, Porter remains at fault for the result of the play. His non-movement required Marcin Gortat to rotate off Pau Gasol to chase Snell. Gasol ended up in excellent position to snag the offensive rebound, and his two free throws iced the game for Chicago in their 97-92 win.
Porter is not going to live this moment down any time soon. The brilliant folks at The Wizznutzz have already turned him into a meme:
This incident is the latest and worst in a series of missteps for Porter, who has not been particularly impressive since becoming the third selection in the 2013 NBA Draft out of Georgetown. Although Porter has improved since a rookie season derailed by injury and ineffectiveness, he is averaging only 5.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game and generally does not make the impact expected of a high-lottery player. The Wizards have already picked up his option for next season, but he will have to perform better soon for the franchise to factor him into their long-term plans.
Tuesday’s loss also continues the Wizards’ confounding struggles over the past month after having stopped a six-game losing streak with Saturday’s victory over the Detroit Pistons. Washington has now lost 12 of their last 15 and looks like a shadow of the team that seemed ready to challenge for the East title.
On the other side, the Bulls impressed despite playing without Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, and Taj Gibson. The front line of Gasol (20 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks), Joakim Noah (14 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, two steals), and Nikola Mirotic (23 points and eight rebounds) was especially effective, which may increase confidence that Chicago can hold onto a top-four seed in the East with so many major names on the shelf.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
