Otto Porter Jr.'s relationship with his former coach Scott Brooks hasn't always been the best, as recent findings through an interview with him revealed the rocky nature of it. The former Washington Wizards swingman was notoriously underused during his time at the nation's capital, as the backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal got the bulk of the shots and praise throughout his five-and-a-half seasons with the team.
Porter was criticized early in the season, taking until the second game of the season for Brooks to chide him for a poor transition effort — a negative energy that would soon engulf the team's horrid start to the season.
A few weeks later, Porter had a game with 29 points on 12-of-15 shots. And while he would’ve likely been force-fed at least 20 attempts to see how hot he could get, the Wizards took little notice of it, feeding the mouths of the usual suspects.
Porter and Brooks soon met to iron out details on how he was being utilized within the system, which concluded with Brooks telling Porter, “Do your job,” according to Michael Lee of The Athletic.
The Georgetown product was forced into a bench role soon after an injury caused a short-term absence, and while he was eventually placed back in the starting lineup, that rocky relationship never fully healed, as he was soon shipped to the Chicago Bulls for Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis in a salary dump move.
“Being traded, it was a business move. Nothing personal at the end of the day,” Porter said. “This is an opportunity where I can grow as a player. That’s how I saw it. I had to deal with the shock for sure. All the phone calls, messages and all that crap. It was crazy. But then once the air settled down and I went for my first game, watching film, watching how they play and how I can be effective.”
Porter is no longer being underutilized, now a key cog in the Bulls' plans, already boasting a 31-point and a 37-point game to his name in his 15 games with his new team.
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