Tall and silent in a dark suit with a red tie, Serge Ibaka sat at the end of a press conference table on June 27, 2008. He was among four Seattle SuperSonics draft picks that year, their 40th and final in the Pacific Northwest.
Ibaka had taught himself Spanish after moving from the Republic of the Congo to Spain when he was 17. He already spoke French, the official language of his home country. Neither were put to use at the press conference, despite the availability of an interpreter. So, he sat as a muted stranger in a frame that screamed athleticism.
Shortly after, the SuperSonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ibaka returned to Spain — as a stashed draft pick — before joining the Thunder a year later, then turned into a quality NBA player who was named to the all-defensive team three times and has averaged 11.6 points per game so far in his career.
New Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks watched it all. He was an assistant when Ibaka was drafted, then his coach for six seasons. As much as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant developed into stars with Oklahoma City while Brooks was in charge, it’s more of the outlier, like Ibaka, that may represent what Brooks can do with young players.
“He didn’t speak a lot of English,” Brooks said. “Run fast! Jump high! Block shot! It was fun. I have fun coaching. I had fun playing. I’m going to have fun coaching.”
When Brooks was introduced on Wednesday, there were repeated mentions of Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre Jr., two long-limbed and ongoing questions for the Wizards. Of course, John Wall and restricted free agent-to-be Bradley Beal are the anchors for what the team will be going forward, but what Porter and Oubre become will influence if the Wizards ever detach themselves from the midsection of the NBA during Wall’s era.
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There is a significant sample now with Porter. He played a full season off the bench and played a full season as a starter. He’s been heavily involved in the playoffs once, excelling during his 10 games in 2015. When Porter moved into the starting lineup last season, all his numbers bumped upward. His scoring average, rebounds, assists, field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage all went up, in part because he played 11 minutes more per game than in 2014-15.
After the all-star break, Porter, 22, looked like the player he was in the previous postseason. He shot 48.3 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from behind the 3-point line. His offensive rating was 114. For comparison, Wall’s was 104.
A massive increase in 3-point accuracy bolstered his post-break numbers. Porter shot just 31.7 percent from behind the 3-point line before the break.
Those flashes have tantalized Brooks.
“Otto has really improved his 3-point shooting,” Brooks said. “Going forward, I think he can make another step in maybe attacking the closeout and getting to the basket and making a play off of the ball.”
There isn’t much to go on when assessing Oubre. He rarely played under former Wizards coach Randy Wittman. When he did, the results were subpar. Oubre shot 42.7 percent from the field and just 31.6 percent from behind the 3-point line, though his teammates believe Oubre has a bountiful future.
Garrett Temple’s locker was next to the brash rookie’s. Temple has made his way through the league as an undrafted free agent because of attention to detail, quality defense and being a good teammate. He tried to encourage Oubre throughout the season when the youngster’s minutes fluctuated. Temple also pointed out that Oubre had no disciplinary problems during the season. He was not late or out of line.
“Sky’s the limit for Kelly,” Temple said.
Which is clearly what the organization believes after trading up to select Oubre in the first round of the 2015 draft, then emphasizing at Brooks’ introduction how important it was for the new coach to realize the importance of Oubre and Porter to the team.
“We, and many people in the league think very highly of Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre,” Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said. “Otto, I think, took steps forward, but he didn’t take that next step that most people think he’s capable of taking. I think this will be a breath of fresh air for him going forward.
“Kelly Oubre, when we did our exit interviews, every player noted to me that he has no fear. He’s really hard to play against. He has really, really long arms. The players wanted him to play more. So, our coach has already recognized that and thinks Kelly Oubre is a big asset to us.”
“Kelly, we don’t know the upside yet,” Brooks said. “I’m going to be working with him throughout the summer. I will never set a limit. There will never be a ceiling on what I think, because I don’t know. I know one thing: I’ll work with them hard.”
What becomes of that work could reshape the Wizards.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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