Category: Washington Wizards Blog

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Wizards center Thomas Bryant suffers major injury to left knee

Wizards center Thomas Bryant has been diagnosed with a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He suffered the injury as a result of incidental contact with two Miami players during the first quarter of the team’s game vs. the Heat on Saturday night.

The injury was revealed following examination and MRI testing by Wizards Orthopedist Dr. William Postma of MedStar Health in conjunction with Monumental Basketball Chief of Athlete Care & Performance Dr. Daniel Medina.

There is no timetable for when Bryant may return, but it’s quite likely he will be out for the remainder of the 2020-21 NBA season.

According to the Washington Post, “Bryant fell under the basket less than two minutes into the game Saturday, after which he writhed on the floor in pain and smacked the court with one hand before walking to the locker room with a Wizards staffer supporting him on either side. The 23-year-old’s injury comes just as he was hitting his stride in Washington.”

Bryant was averaging 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting .648 from the floor and .429 from three-point range in 10 games this season.

Bradley Beal scores 60, but Wizards lose to Sixers

Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal had himself a game on Wednesday, shooting 25 of 35 and hitting 7 of 10 three-pointers for 60 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but unfortunately it was one that ended in a loss. Via the Washington Post:

Bradley Beal’s career night was sealed at the free throw line, an anticlimactic ending that belied the thrilling performance the Washington Wizards’ star guard delivered in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Beal came achingly close to breaking Gilbert Arenas’s franchise single-game scoring record set 15 years ago, just as the Wizards nearly completed a stunning comeback against the 76ers.

Beal led his team with 60 points, tying Arenas’s tally from Dec. 17, 2006. But he could not will his team to a win.

The Wizards lost, 141-136, falling just short of a 21-point comeback mounted midway through the third quarter. Beal shot 20-for-35 from the field, 7-for-10 from three and made 13 of 15 at the free throw line, notching his fourth career 50-point game.

He had 57 points through three quarters but shot 1-for-6 in the final 12 minutes.

Wizards exercise contract options on Rui Hachimura and Troy Brown Jr.

The Washington Wizards have exercised their their third-year option on Rui Hachimura and their fourth-year contract option on Troy Brown Jr.

Hachimura is reportedly making around $4.69 million this season and due to earn around $4.9 million next season.

Brown Jr. is reportedly earning around $3.37 million this season and make around $5.17 million next season.

Brown Jr. has appeared in 124 career games (32 starts) and has compiled career averages of 7.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Last season, Brown Jr. averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 69 games (22 starts). He was originally selected by the Wizards with the 15th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Hachimura was named to 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds on .466 shooting from the field. Hachimura led all rookies in rebounds per game and finished fifth in scoring among rookies on the season. He also led all rookies with 18 games of at least 10+ points and seven or more rebounds. Hachimura was selected ninth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Wizards forward Rui Hachimura out 3 weeks with eye infection

Wizards forward Rui Hachimura will miss approximately three weeks with bi-lateral epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), which is an eye infection.

Hachimura was diagnosed with EKC on December 16 and missed the Wizards’ final two preseason games.

The big Wizards news heading into the new season is the recent trade that sent John Wall to the Rockets for point guard Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook and shooting guard Bradley Beal form one of the most talented backcourts in the NBA. On paper, of course. Now comes chemistry development.

The Wizards also re-signed shooter Davis Bertans, and drafted talented rookie Deni Avdija.

Wizards center Thomas Bryant fined by NBA

Washington Wizards center Thomas Bryant has been fined $45,000 for repeatedly making inappropriate contact with a game official, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Bryant, who received a technical foul as part of the incident, was aggressively attempting to confront Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin, who had committed a Flagrant Foul 1 against Bryant on the play.

The incident occurred with 8:42 remaining in the third quarter of Washington’s 97-86 preseason loss to Detroit on Dec. 17 at Capital One Arena.

Wizards rookie Deni Avdija plays well in NBA preseason debut

Washington Wizards rookie Deni Avdija looks very good in his NBA preseason debut yesterday. Via the Washington Times:

Even for Deni Avdija, a rookie who comes to the Washington Wizards already with professional experience in Israel, it took a moment to settle in after stepping onto the court for his first NBA preseason game Sunday night.

“In the beginning, I’m going to be honest and I’ll say, like, ‘Whoa,’” Avdija said postgame. “Like, you’re in Barclays Center and you’re playing against all those players you saw on TV.”

But Avdija wasn’t star-struck — at least not for long — in a matchup against Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets. In Washington’s first preseason game, the first-round draft pick soon came into his own, showing a confidence that helped buoy his team during the 119-114 loss.

The 19-year-old finished with 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting to go along with four rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes. While Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook didn’t play — meaning Wizards fans didn’t get a real hint of what the squad might look like this season — Avdija’s debut shows early promise that he could be a key contributor in his first year.

Wizards sign forward Anthony Gill

The Washington Wizards have signed free agent forward Anthony Gill.

“We’re excited to welcome Anthony home and to add his versatile skill set to our roster,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “He has proven himself playing at a high level overseas for the last three seasons and we look forward to helping him continue to develop his blend of inside physicality and outside shooting touch.”

Gill (6-8, 230) has played the last three seasons for BC Khimki in Russia, compiling overall averages of 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting .572 from the field and .406 from three-point range. The 28-year-old forward averaged 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds this past season while shooting .567 from the field and .440 from three-point range.

Gill was undrafted out of the University of Virginia, where he played from 2013-16 after transferring from the University of South Carolina. He finished his career as the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in field goal percentage at .582 and averaged 13.8 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting .580 from the floor as a senior. Gill was named All-ACC Third Team as both a junior and a senior and was named to the All-ACC Tournament Team as a senior.

Wizards sign Cassius Winston, Caleb Homesley, Yoeli Childs and Marlon Taylor

The Washington Wizards have signed guard Cassius Winston to a Two-Way Contract.

The team also signed Yoeli Childs, Caleb Homesley, and Marlon Taylor to Exhibit 10 contracts.

The Wizards acquired the rights to Cassius Winston from Michigan State (53rd overall pick) after trading the rights to Vit Krejci (37th overall pick) and Admiral Schofield to Oklahoma City in exchange for the 53rd pick and Memphis’ 2024 second round pick (which was owned by Oklahoma City) on November 19.

Winston averaged 18.6 points and 5.9 assists per game as a senior and 18.8 points and 7.5 assists per game as a junior at Michigan State to earn All-America Second Team honors in both seasons, All-Big Ten honors as a senior and Big Ten Player of the Year honors as a junior while leading the Spartans to the 2019 Final Four. He is one of four players in NCAA D-I history to record at least 1,900 points and 850 assists and finished his career with 894 assists, the most in Big Ten and Michigan State history.

Childs, (6-8, 225) went undrafted out of BYU, where he averaged 22.2 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting .574 from the field in 19 games during his senior season (2019-20). A native of South Jordan, Utah, Childs became the first player in school history to score at least 2,000 points and grab at least 1,000 rebounds in their career.

Homesley, (6-6, 205) averaged 15.3 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting .474 from the field during his senior season (2019-20) at Liberty University. Originally from Indian Trail, North Carolina, Homesley was named the 2020 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year.

Taylor, (6-5, 209) went undrafted out of LSU during his senior season (2019-20), where he averaged 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game. He scored a career-high 30 points versus Georgia (3/7) in his final collegiate game at LSU.

Wizards sign Raul Neto, and retain Garrison Mathews

The Washington Wizards have signed free agent guard Raul Neto and have retained guard Garrison Mathews as a two-way player.

Neto (6-0, 180 lbs.) has compiled career averages of 4.9 points, 1.9 assists and 1.3 rebounds on .446 shooting from the field in 253 games (75 starts) in his five-year career with Utah and Philadelphia.

“Raul’s experience both in the NBA and overseas will be valuable to our backcourt roster,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “He approaches the backup point guard position with a combination of toughness and skill that will fit in with our style of play.”

During the 2019-20 season, Neto averaged 5.1 points and 1.9 assists per game in 54 games (three starts) with Philadelphia. Before signing with the 76ers, Neto spent his first four seasons in the NBA with the Utah Jazz (2015-19). The 28-year old averaged 4.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 14.2 minutes per game with Utah. As a rookie in 2015, he appeared in 81 games (53 starts) and averaged a career-high 5.9 points and 2.1 assists per game.

Neto was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round (47th overall pick) of the 2013 NBA Draft, and his rights were traded by the Hawks to the Jazz in a draft-night trade in exchange for a 2015 second round pick (from Brooklyn) on June 27, 2013. Prior to coming to the NBA, he played professionally in Brazil and Spain from 2008-15. During the 2014-15 season, he appeared in 34 games (23 starts) for Universidad Catolica De Murcia (UCAM) of the Liga ACP in Spain, averaging 8.9 points, 3.9 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 22.4 mpg.

A native of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Neto competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games as a member of the Brazilian National Team.

Mathews returns to the Wizards after spending last season as a two-way player (he was originally signed on June 21, 2019). He averaged 5.4 points and 1.3 rebounds while shooting .413 from three-point range in 18 games with the Wizards. Mathews’ best outing came in a 123-105 win over the Miami Heat on December 30 when he scored a career-high 28 points on 4-7 shooting from deep to go along with four rebounds. The Lipscomb product also played in 17 games with the Capital City Go-Go, averaging 11.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

“Garrison showed in flashes last season that he can contribute with his shooting range and hustle,” said Sheppard. “Maintaining his development within our system as a two-way player is the best way for him to continue his improvement and we look forward to having him back.”

Wizards sign Robin Lopez

The Washington Wizards have signed free agent center Robin Lopez.

“Improving our interior defense is a priority for us and Robin’s experience, presence and IQ will absolutely help us as we work toward achieving that goal,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “He has been consistent throughout his career on both ends of the floor and will be a solid veteran addition with a style of play that complements our young frontcourt players.”

Lopez (7-1, 281) holds career averages of 8.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting .529 from the field in 832 career games (585 starts) over 12 NBA seasons with Phoenix, New Orleans, Portland, New York, Chicago, and Milwaukee. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 60 games (five starts) for the Bucks during the 2019-20 season.

In three seasons with Chicago (2016-17), he averaged 10.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting .526 from the field. The 32-year-old veteran averaged a career-high 11.3 points on .534 shooting from the field in 82 games during the 2012-13 season with New Orleans Hornets. Lopez has averaged 8.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 31 career playoff games with Phoenix, Portland, Chicago, and Milwaukee.

A native of North Hollywood, California, Lopez was selected with 15th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. He played collegiately at Stanford with his twin brother, Brook, who currently plays for the Bucks.