Washington Wizards Blog – Page 28 – NBA Blog

John Wall, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook all named NBA Players of Month for December, 2015

Washington Wizards guard John Wall and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant and Thunder guard Russell Westbrook today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in December.

Wall averaged 22.6 points, 11.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals to lead the Wizards to an 8-8 record, despite the absence of several key players to injury. He is the first player to average at least 22.0 points, 11.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in a month since Chris Paul in April 2009. Wall scored 20 or more points 11 times, his career high for a month, and recorded 10 games with at least 20 points and 10 assists, the most in team history for a month. The guard also became the first player to post three straight games with at least 26 points, 12 assists and five rebounds since Dwyane Wade in November 2006. Wall shot 46.0 percent from the field and 83.6 percent from the free throw line.

Durant (24.9 ppg) and Westbrook (23.8 ppg), co-winners in the West, ranked sixth and seventh in the NBA in scoring, respectively, as the Thunder went 12-3 in December. Durant added 7.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 50.8 percent from the field. He reached the 20-point mark in all 15 games and shot 87.3 percent from the free throw line. Westbrook led the league in steals (2.73 ppg) and contributed 8.9 assists (fourth in the West) and 5.9 rebounds. He had three 30-point games, handed out at least 10 assists seven times and posted his third triple-double of the season.

Other nominees for NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month were Atlanta’s Paul Millsap, Detroit’s Reggie Jackson, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, the Los Angeles Clippers’ J.J. Redick, Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic, Portland’s CJ McCollum and San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard.

Wizards eye return of Bradley Beal

The Wizards (14-14) have gotten a team-high 19.8 ppg from shooting guard Bradley Beal this season. But Beal has played in just half of the team’s 28 games so far this season. Here’s CSN MidAtlantic reporting the latest:

If all goes according to plan with Bradley Beal, the Wizards are “hopeful” that the shooting guard will begin non-basketball activities this week.

Beal was diagnosed Dec. 11 with what the Wizards called “the beginnings of a stress reaction” in his lower right leg for the fourth time in his fourth NBA season.

“Everything looks good,” coach Randy Wittman said Sunday. “He feels good. … Maybe he’ll start doing something. Obviously, nothing on the court.”

Wizards sign Jarell Eddie, waive Ryan Hollins

The Washington Wizards announced today that the team has signed guard/forward Jarell Eddie and waived center Ryan Hollins.

Eddie (6-7, 220) went undrafted in 2014 out of Virginia Tech. The former Hokie has spent the last two seasons with the Austin Spurs of the D-League. He has appeared in 11 games (nine starts) with Austin this season, averaging 14.1 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting .530 from the field and .525 from three-point range in 29 minutes per game. Eddie spent the 2015-16 preseason with the Golden State Warriors, where he appeared in two contests, and played in six games with the Wizards during the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Hollins, who was signed as a free agent on November 30, appeared in five games for the Wizards and averaged 1.6 points in 10 minutes per game.

Report: Jarell Eddie to Wizards

Here’s the Washington Post blog reporting that the Wizards are about to make a minor roster move:

In urgent need of perimeter players, the Washington Wizards will sign forward Jarell Eddie out of the NBA D-League to a nonguaranteed contract and waive center Ryan Hollins on Tuesday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

A sharpshooter, the 6-foot-7 Eddie went undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2014, when he played on the Wizards’ summer league team in Las Vegas. He then played the Austin Spurs last season, averaging 12.9 points and converting 45.2 percent of his threes in 44 games. He also won the league’s three-point contest at all-star weekend.

John Wall playing great basketball in December

As the Wizards deal with injuries to several players, guard John Wall has helped soften the blow by playing some of the best basketball of his six-year career. Wall is averaging 24.6 points (on 50.0 percent shooting), 10.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 11 games this month. That stretch has featured seven games with at least 26 points and 10 assists, the most such games in franchise history by any player in any month, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Wall has raised his overall scoring average to a career-high 19.9 points, and his shooting percentage of 44.5 percent equals a career high.

— NBA News

Bradley Beal out at least two weeks with lower leg injury

Wizards guard Bradley Beal has been diagnosed with the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula. He will miss the next two weeks and then be re-evaluated. The injury was initially diagnosed following an MRI yesterday and confirmed today after further testing.

Beal has appeared in 17 games for Washington this season, averaging 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 36.5 minutes per game.

John Wall off to great start in December

Here’s the Washington Post blog reporting on the Wizards (9-10, which is just the 11th best record in the East):

In five December games, the 25-year-old Wall is averaging 28.0 points, 9.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game. He’s shooting 56 percent from the floor, 47.4 percent from beyond the arc and 85.3 percent from the free-throw line while playing 38.6 minutes per contest.

The week-long dominance was bookended by two dynamite performances against first-place clubs on the road. First, he began the month by leading the Wizards over the then-first-place Cleveland Cavaliers with 35 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Then on Monday, he posted 26 points and seven assists in Washington’s victory against the Miami Heat, who had taken over first in the East, 24 hours after he hobbled off the court with a knee injury in Sunday night’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks…

After making 31 percent of his wide-open shots — attempts are considered wide open when the closest defender is at least six feet away — from 10-plus feet away in November, Wall is shooting 46.2 percent in such instances in December.

Wizards waive Martell Webster, sign Ryan Hollins

The Washington Wizards announced today that the team has waived forward Martell Webster and signed center Ryan Hollins.

“Martell, with his contributions on the court and ability to connect with the fans and the community off the court, has been a great example of the type of player we want to represent our organization,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “He worked extremely hard to fight through his injuries but unfortunately was not able to make a healthy return. We appreciate everything he contributed to the team and wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

Webster appeared in 186 games (75 starts) with Washington and averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting .397 from behind the arc. His best season in a Wizards uniform came during the 2012-13 campaign, when he averaged a career-best 11.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 76 games while shooting .442 from the field and a career-best .422 from deep. The 10-year veteran was originally signed by the Wizards as a free agent on August 29, 2012.

Hollins is a nine-year NBA veteran who has averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 481 career games (64 starts), with Charlotte, Dallas, Minnesota, Cleveland, Boston, the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento. Last season with the Kings, he appeared in 46 games (nine starts) and averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per contest. He was originally selected with the 50th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by Charlotte out of the University of California.

Wizards waive Josh Harrellson, Jaron Johnson, Toure Murry, Jaleel Roberts, Ish Smith

The Washington Wizards announced today that the team has waived center Josh Harrellson, guards Jaron Johnson and Toure Murry, center Jaleel Roberts and guard Ish Smith.

Harrellson appeared in seven preseason games, recording 27 points and 12 rebounds over 51 minutes. Johnson played in six preseason games and totaled 12 points in 28 minutes. Murry appeared in four preseason games and tallied 14 points in 30 minutes. Roberts played in three preseason games and totaled 10 points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. Smith made five appearances in the preseason and tallied 11 points and 20 assists in 57 minutes.

Alan Anderson undergoes ankle surgery

The Washington Wizards announced that forward Alan Anderson had successful surgery today to remove a small bony fragment in his left ankle. Anderson underwent left ankle surgery in May to remove bone spurs and was still experiencing pain caused by irritation from the fragment.

The procedure was performed by Dr. David Porter at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Anderson will begin the rehab process immediately, but a timeframe for his return has yet to be determined.

The Wizards signed Anderson on July 12 after he spent the 2014-15 season with Brooklyn. In 74 games (19 starts) with the Nets, he averaged 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting .443 from the field and .348 from three-point range.