The Toronto Raptors haven’t gotten much bang for their proverbial buck in the whole Otto Porter Jr. affair, as injuries have once again prevented a veteran leader and solid scheme fit from getting on the floor. That hasn’t stopped him from trying to work his way back to full health.
Even with Porter’s desire to get back on the floor amid trade rumors, some will never see him as anything more than a No. 3 overall pick who didn’t stay healthy enough to become a star. Stephen Jackson is firmly in that camp, based on his latest comments.
On Jackson’s “All The Smoke” podcast, the former Warriors and Pacers wing took a shot at Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr. when discussing the expectations for Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown after signing his supermax contract. In Jackson’s eye, Porter is the poster child for bad NBA contracts.
It’s hard to set expectations when you got so many players that got good money that ain’t done s—,” Jackson said. “Otto Porter, where he at? He got $100 million in Washington, and we haven’t seen him since.” Knowing all the lousy luck Porter has had in the pros, this seems like an unjust way to analyze his NBA career.
https://twitter.com/BasketballOnX/status/1711475090112549144
Stephen Jackson takes an odd shot at Toronto Raptors’ Otto Porter Jr.
While Porter didn’t live up to the hype after signing his deal with the Wizards, he was 23 years old and coming off the best season of his career when he signed that contract. He didn’t choose to suffer through some hideously poor injury luck throughout his career.
Porter may have had some tough breaks that prevented him from living up to the hype. Still, comments like these about a guy who has generally been regarded as a solid teammate and is fresh off playing a significant role on a Warriors team that won a championship seem like oddly specific hating.
If Jackson didn’t have a grudge specifically against Porter, why else would he bring him up when discussing Brown signing the biggest contract in NBA history? Porter himself would tell you he and Brown are in two different stratospheres. This is just hating on Porter for no reason.
Porter is trying his best to come back from yet another foot injury and prove to the Raptors that he is one of the best offensive players on this team. Jackson’s decision to get oddly confrontational about Porter and circumstances out of his control that hurt his value come off as strange.