- Although several injuries have required 11-24 Wizards to adjust their bench, it has remained among the league’s best, as Candace Buckner of The Washington Post reports. The Wizards’ bench has averaged 70 points per contest in their last five games, 14.4 PPG clear of the next-most prolific bench over the same period, the Pistons. The bench scored 92 points against the Nuggets and 80 points against the Heat, the two highest second unit marks in franchise history. “No matter who we’re plugging in, that’s the way we want to play,” backup guard Ish Smith observed.
JANUARY 5: The move is official, the Wizards announced in a press release.
JANUARY 4: The Wizards will waive Johnathan Williams, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Williams is on a non-guaranteed contract, so only a portion of his minimum salary will count against Washington’s cap.
The second-year center signed with Washington on December 26 under the hardship provision. He appeared in five games, starting four, and averaged 4.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per night.
Williams broke into the league last season on a two-way contract with the Lakers. He also played briefly with Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion in Israel.
The Wizards had been carrying 17 players after being granted a pair of hardship exceptions. Those remain in effect only as long as the team has at least four or five players who have missed three or more games due to injury or illness and are expected to miss at least two more weeks.
The Wizards have waived rookie point guard Justin Robinson, the team announced in a press release.
Robinson signed with Washington in July after going undrafted out of Virginia Tech. He spent most of his time in the G League, averaging 14.2 points and 6.1 assists in 18 games with Capital City. Robinson saw limited playing time in nine games with the Wizards.
Robinson will have a $396K cap hit for his time in Washington, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. He signed a three-year, $4.2MM contract over the summer, but it contains no guaranteed money past this year. Salaries across the league will be guaranteed for the rest of the season later this week for players who remain on the roster past Tuesday.
Washington was briefly carrying 17 players after being approved for two hardship exceptions last week. The roster will be back down to 15, along with a pair of two-way contracts, after today’s move and the expected decision to waive Johnathan Williams.
Cutting Robinson indicates that Gary Payton II, who was one of those hardship signings, will be kept on the roster, notes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). Payton is averaging 6.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals in seven games since joining the Wizards.
Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Rockets assigned Chris Clemons to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26. Clemons had his two-way deal converted to a three-year contract last week.
- The Wizards announced on Twitter that they have recalled Justin Robinson from Capital City. He is averaging 5.4 minutes per night in nine NBA games in his first season.
- The Warriors recalled Jordan Poole from Santa Cruz, according to a tweet from the team. The rookie guard is averaging 7.1 PPG in 29 games for Golden State.
Rui Hachimura will be re-evaluated in about two weeks as he recovers from “a minor procedure” following a groin injury in a December 16 game, the Wizards announced in a press release. This is the first time the organization has acknowledged that Hachimura underwent a medical procedure, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.
The rookie forward met with reporters prior to tonight’s game to provide an update on his condition. The injury resulted from an accidental kick by Isaac Bonga, and Hachimura said he forgave his teammate right away (Twitter link).
“He’s a good kid. It was an accident, you know,” he said. “I saw the video a couple times too. It was like, kind of — I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain but I think he felt bad too. He texted me right after.”
There’s more from Washington, D.C.:
- Isaiah Thomas was fined $25K for making contact with an official in last night’s game, the league announced on Twitter. Thomas, who was ejected, insisted today that it was an accident, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. He explained that he lost his balance after being pushed in the back. “It was unintentional contact,” Thomas said. “Most importantly I would like to move on from it but I definitely didn’t mean to put my hand on a ref.” (Twitter link)
- With the Wizards likely headed for the lottery again, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington takes an early look at the draft. He considers former Memphis center James Wiseman the best fit and wonders how the team would handle a guard-heavy draft after making major investments in John Wall and Bradley Beal. Hughes adds that Washington has moved some of its scouting resources to watch LaMelo Ball in Australia and R.J. Hampton in New Zealand.
- In a separate story, coach Scott Brooks tells Hughes that Wall is filling a valuable role as an unofficial assistant coach as he recovers from injury, but is eager to start playing again. “It hurts John not to be out on the court playing. That guy’s a competitor,” Brooks said. “(When you’re out with an injury), you appreciate it more. I hate to say it, especially with the year we’ve had, injuries can happen with the next play. You don’t really know what’s going to happen, so you play your best on every play. When it’s taken away from you, it bothers you.”
After a near-yearlong absence from the NBA, Carmelo Anthony has carved out a role with the Trail Blazers and been one of the best stories of the season’s first half. However, it was not as smooth sailing in the 10 months leading up to his return.
Anthony, who grew up in Baltimore for most of his childhood, returned to Maryland to face the Wizards on Friday. In a wide-ranging discussion with Michael Lee of The Athletic, Anthony discussed how he mentally adjusted to not being in the NBA, considering playing close to home, and whether or not his NBA return will continue beyond the current season.
Check out some highlights from the conversation:
On how Anthony came to terms with not being on an NBA roster:
“Mentally, I had to like really detach myself from everything. From the actual game. I had to just say, ‘You know what? I’ve got to get away from it in order for me to start feeling good about myself otherwise.’ Because it started to just bog me down. Early on, I just kept asking, ‘Why me?’ And I just felt myself falling into those days where I’m searching for why. I’m searching for why. I wanted to know why. Then after a while, I was, ‘You know, I’m going to let it go, detach myself from the game and whatever happens is going to happen. I control my own destiny.’ ”
On considering joining the Wizards and playing close to home in Maryland:
“In the midst of everything that was over the past year, it was like, ‘Why not try to go play with them?’ Why not go close to home?’ You know, all that stuff came into play. That was kind of the only time I thought about it. If they called, I was ready. Even at that point and time, it was about me getting back in the game. If a team was willing to give me an opportunity, it’s something I would’ve have looked at.”
On appreciating the reaction he has received around the NBA since returning:
“I’ve been on the other side of that, too, where it’s not cheers. It’s boos. I appreciate it. I accept that. I cherish that. I take in these moments. Try to appreciate all of these moments. Going to all of these arenas. I think for the most part, it’s deeper than basketball, when it comes to me and my fan base, my support system.”
- Knicks forward Marcus Morris and Wizards sharpshooter Davis Bertans have drawn interest from teams around the NBA, but it’s not clear if either player will be dealt. Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard has stated his team wants to retain Bertans, and Charania writes that New York prefers to keep Morris. Still, I doubt either player would be untouchable if the right offer surfaces.
[SOURCE LINK]
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Wizards have assigned center Thomas Bryant, forward Davis Bertans, and rookie point guard Justin Robinson to their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Robinson, an undrafted Virginia Tech alum in 2019, has played in nine games for the Wizards thus far. Bryant and Bertans were sent to the Go-Go on rehab assignments to practice, and the Wizards note that the big men will be recalled back to the NBA today.
- Garrison Mathews said he was capable of torching an opponent with his shooting ability prior to his 28-point outburst against Miami on Monday, according to Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports Washington. The Wizards signed the undrafted rookie to a two-way contract in early July. Mathews, who made four 3-pointers and 12 free throws against the Heat, spoke of his offensive prowess during a pregame TV interview. “I’m not just a basketball player, I’m a professional shooter,” he said. A 6’5″ shooting guard out of Lipscomb, Mathews averaged 20.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG in his final season at Lipscomb, knocking down 3.2 threes per game at a 40.3% rate.
11:29am: Brooks also offered an update on Moritz Wagner‘s ankle injury today, per Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). Wagner is expected to be in his walking boot for at least another week and may require an additional 10-14 days once he’s out of the boot before he’s ready to return. In other words, he’s expected to be out of action for at least two or three more weeks.
11:11am: Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura isn’t close to making it back onto the court, head coach Scott Brooks told reporters today. As Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington and Fred Katz of The Athletic relay (via Twitter), Brooks said Hachimura is still expected to miss multiple weeks as a result of his groin injury.
Hachimura, the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft, was off to a solid start in his rookie season, averaging 13.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 25 games (29.2 MPG). However, his groin issue has sidelined him for Washington’s last seven games – he hasn’t played since December 16 in Detroit – and will keep him on the shelf for the foreseeable future.
The Wizards have been hit harder than any NBA team by the injury bug in recent weeks. In addition to missing Hachimura, the Wizards have also been without Thomas Bryant since December 1, Moritz Wagner since December 10, and Davis Bertans since December 21, decimating the club’s frontcourt depth. Additionally, John Wall and C.J. Miles are out with presumed season-ending injuries and Bradley Beal is day-to-day with a leg issue.
As long as Hachimura and the Wizards’ other bigs are sidelined, the team figures to continue leaning heavily on Ian Mahinmi, as well as newcomers Johnathan Williams and Anzejs Pasecniks.