A New Veteran Presence in Washington
While some NBA teams are going through the offseason with lots of drama, intrigue, and fanfare, the Washington Wizards quietly go about their business. Thomas Bryant’s departure at the beginning of free agency left space for another center in Washington, and questions about if the front office would fill that space before the start of the upcoming season. Two of Washington’s centers, Vernon Carey Jr. and Isaiah Todd, are in Las Vegas for the NBA 2K23 Summer League with Johnny Davis (G) and other rising rookies and second-year players.
Johnny Davis (5) against the Phoenix Suns | Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The Wizards also have Daniel Gafford and Kristaps Porzingis to play center, but the position seems scarce compared to the amount of offensive depth the Wizards have recently built. Nevertheless, there’s no shortage of guards and wings on the Wizards, especially with the amount of developing players on the roster. Sometimes, the Wizards feel more like an earnest work-in-progress rather than an established team, and maybe their limited veteran presence is to blame.
Bradley Beal and Porzingis are the closest players the Wizards have to a true veteran, based on how many years they’ve played in the NBA. The Wizards also lack defensive depth and an experienced, established leader, and ambiguity is something Wizards fans are tired of. Someone needs to step up. Enter Taj Gibson. The 37-year-old center was released by the New York Knicks after a three-season stay in the Big Apple and has signed a one-year deal with the Wizards.
Teams “hungry for veteran help in the paint” were pursuing Gibson, but Washington closed the deal (Magliochetti). The addition of a true veteran could serve as an inspiration to the Wizards’ developing, younger core. However, it’s too early to tell how he will fit in with the team (it actually feels odd for the Wizards to sign a veteran for only a year when the front office’s keyword is “building).
A year just doesn’t feel like enough time for Gibson to get into a rhythm with Beal, but we’ll have to see how they play together before jumping to any conclusions.
