Otto Porter: Wizards 'desperately' need NBA championship

The Washington Wizards haven't won an NBA championship since 1978 — when the franchise was named the Bullets, Jimmy Carter was in office, and the Bee Gees had the top-selling album in the country.

Otto Porter, who the Wizards just re-signed to a maximum four-year, $106.5 million deal, wouldn't be born for another 15 years. But the 24-year-old recognizes the magnitude of the city's championship drought.

"I'm just looking forward to getting back out there with the guys, getting back to the playoffs ... working my tail off going forward, trying to get a championship and bring it here to the city," Porter said at his contract extension press conference on Wednesday. "Because we need it desperately."

Porter, who was drafted with the third overall pick in 2013 out of Georgetown, is coming off a career season in which he finished fourth in Most Improved Player voting and solidified himself as a key member of Washington's core alongside John Wall and Bradley Beal. He averaged a career-best 13.4 points per game, 6.4 rebounds and shot 43.4% from beyond the arc — the fifth-highest mark in the league.

The hope around the organization now is that Porter will take another step forward and validate the contract that makes him the team's highest paid player.

"Otto has a great work ethic," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said. "He's gotten better every year. He got better every year when he was in college. When you put the work in and the time that he puts in, you're going to get results. His results are shown by the numbers he's put up.

"But Otto's more than just a numbers player. He does a lot of little things out there. He's very versatile, he's a great teammate, and he fits the puzzle very well."

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Porter touched on his versatility as well, telling CSN Mid Atlantic: "I try to do a lot of things that don't show up on the stats, which at the same time, my game speaks for itself. Being all over the place — I know that once I step across those lines, I want to have an impact on the game in any way, shape or form. And that's what I pride myself on.

"When people go to watch us play and watch me play, they're going to leave and say, 'Oh wow. Otto Porter was all over the place.' And that's what I take my pride in."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' AJ Neuharth-Keusch on Twitter @tweetAJNK

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