By: Ryan Stein
Welcome to Far Fetched Friday where every Friday we give you a bold prediction that we think will come to fruition.
Last Friday we gave you a prediction about the Lakers, this Friday my prediction is that Otto Potter Jr. will be an All-Star in 2020
Upon being drafted number 3 overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2013 NBA draft, hopes were high that Otto Porter Jr. would be the last piece of a three-headed monster in Washington alongside John Wall and Bradley Beal. The dream of contending for Eastern Conference supremacy never panned out in the nation's capital, with the team never getting past the second round of the playoffs. While Porter was always a steady, if unspectacular, presence on the team, it would be fair to argue that at least a part of the Wizards' underachievement is a result of Porter failing to reach All-Star status. However, Porter will have much more success with the Chicago Bulls than he ever did with the Wizards.
Throughout his career, Porter has been at best a third offensive option, and was only given extended looks on offense when Wall or Beal were out with injury. Porter will not have any such restrictions in Chicago, where he's already asserted himself as the top option on the team. Averaging 22.5 points per game so far with the Bulls (through only 4 games, admittedly), his point production is far outpacing his career average of 10.9 PPG. With elite efficiency and above-average rebounding for his position, he has all the counting stats necessary for a legitimate All-Star case next year, especially in the weaker Eastern Conference.
Who could Porter replace in the All-Star game next year? For one, Dwayne Wade is retiring after the season, which frees up one spot. If Porter can keep up his statistical output, there's reason to believe he could also overtake players like Khris Middleton, an aging Kyle Lowry, an injured Victor Oladipo and his replacement D'Angelo Russell. While the future of the Bulls is still murky, at least one player will be receiving accolades next season.
The month of December is giving us non stop boxing, with an event every weekend until Christmas Day. We started this cold month hot with three world title fights on December seventh, with Richardson Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) defeating Liam Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) in a majority decision win to claim the IBF Super Lightweight world title in Puerto Rico....
Another MLS draft is upon us, bringing back fiery debates about whether there is still any value in the system or if it is a complete and utter waste of time. The franchises themselves have long signaled where they stand in that argument. For one, the growing trend of GMs declining to select a player prompted several changes, such as...
On November 9th, two of boxing's biggest future stars will defend their world titles at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Jaron "Boots" Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) defends his IBF welterweight world title against Karen Chuhadzhyan (24-2, 13 KOs), and Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) will be defending his WBC and Ring Magazine super flyweight...
