Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Porter's rise
By Luke Lapinski
Otto Porter entered the 2012-13 season on the heels of a strong freshman campaign. As such, expectations were high for the 6-foot-8 sophomore. And he seems intent on exceeding them.
At the moment, Georgetown is hanging around just outside of the AP Top 25, and Porter is the main reason the Hoyas are even knocking on the door. He leads the team in points (14.7), rebounds (7.9), steals (1.8) and blocks (1.2) per game. What's more, he's raised his level of play over the last five contests with teammate Greg Whittington sidelined for academic reasons. In that time, Porter has averaged a near double-double with 19 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest, while leading Georgetown to victories over two ranked opponents in Notre Dame and Louisville.
NBA Scouts love to see a player step up when the pressure's on. And they also love to see a rising star address areas of potential concern. As ESPN's Chad Ford points out, Porter has done just that by improving his jump shot and emerging as the go-to guy for John Thompson III's group. And it's helped shoot him all the way up to No. 6 on Ford's latest big board.
