When the Toronto Raptors decided to bring back both Chris Boucher and Thad Young in free agency, Masai Ujiri needed to make sure that he used his remaining cap space on a proven veteran winner. He appeared to strike gold when he lured Otto Porter Jr. up to Canada.
Porter, a former No. 3 overall pick, has been a solid scorer in his days with the Wizards. However, his best individual season came during his year with the champion Golden State Warriors. A spot starter who played multiple positions, Porter came to Toronto with some significant expectations.
While Porter figured to be a scheme fit that would help the team fix their painful lack of shooting, his body has failed him. The latest injury report painted a very bleak picture of Porter’s timetable for a return, as he likely won’t be back for the foreseeable future due to his toe injury.
The durability issues that have impacted Porter throughout his career have shown up again, making him a player that has been more of a liability than a solution. If Masai Ujiri had it to do all over again, would he have still made the decision to bring Porter in?
Nothing troubling with the imaging for O.G. Anunoby (hip) but they will re-evaluate in a week. It will be a few weeks for Precious Achiuwa (ankle) and maybe a month for Otto Porter Jr. (dislocated toe). Nick Nurse says he will not require surgery.
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) December 13, 2022
Do the Toronto Raptors regret signing Otto Porter Jr?
Porter has played more than just 56 games in a season once since the 2018-19 season. He’s already missed 20 of a potential 28 games, and a toe ailment will likely knock him out for most of a stretch in which the Raptors play 13 consecutive games against teams with winning records.
Even when he’s been available, the results haven’t been amazing. Porter’s scoring has dipped to just 5.5 points per game. While his 35% 3-point percentage is better than most Raptors this year, it’s still a decline from what he put on display during his last few seasons.
Porter has a $6.3 million player option for next season, but that cap space could come into play when Toronto extends some of their big names to retain their key players. Betting on an aging Porter fresh off yet another significant injury just makes Toronto’s bench depth less stable.
Otto Porter Jr. saw a specialist for his dislocated toe. They don't think "imminent surgery" is needed so the plan is to ramp him back up slowly. Nurse thinks his return is still about a month away.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) December 13, 2022
Hernangomez (ankle) practiced today, should be able to play vs Kings tomorrow.
In theory, Porter could be an ideal Raptors bench player. The issue, however, is the fact that Porter has been stuck in first gear for most of his Raptors tenure and shows no signs of shifting anytime soon. Imagine if that money was spent on a shooter that didn’t have all the concerns surrounding him.