Tag: Duane Washington Jr.

Under the Radar: Suns’ Duane Washington Jr. is shining during an awful stretch for his team

Duane Washington Jr. is one of the most improved players in the NBA.

The Phoenix Suns have won just one of their last ten games and suddenly have a losing record (20-21) on the season in 2022-23.

During this stretch, they have the worst net rating of all teams in the Western Conference except for the lowly Houston Rockets. Phoenix guard Chris Paul is dealing with a hip injury and Devin Booker is sidelined with a groin injury.

Cameron Payne has missed time with a right foot sprain, and the Suns just can’t seem to catch a break. Suddenly, the backcourt depth in Phoenix looks thin and depleted and they need all the help they can get.

Fortunately, however, they have received some positive reinforcement from former Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr., who signed a two-way deal with Phoenix during this past offseason.

With the increased opportunity, Washington has logged season-high minutes in back-to-back games for the Suns. He scored 25 points (9-18 FG, 5-6 3P) on Sunday against the Cavaliers, missing just one of his six 3-pointers during the contest.

He also had a career-high 26 points while beating Memphis on Dec. 27.

One reason behind his success is his massively increased role on the court. He is getting the ball more often than ever and once he does have the ball in his hands, he is now entrusted to do quite a bit more with it.

The data, which is available courtesy of NBA.com, backs this up as well.

As a rookie, he averaged 2.67 seconds per touch and he now averages 4.93 (+2.25, +84.5%) seconds per touch. That, too, is the largest increase of any player in the NBA. In fact, the guard is the only player who has increased his seconds per touch by more than 2.0 seconds.

Washington, meanwhile, recorded 2.23 dribbles per touch last season. He now averages 4.55 dribbles per touch. That also accounts for the greatest overall difference (+2.31) he is the only player to see a percentage increase (+103.69%) of over 100 percent.

The former undrafted free agent finished offensive possessions as the ball handler in pick-and-roll sets on 19.0 percent of his finishes in 2012-22, per Synergy. That frequency has now increased to 43.6 percent, which accounts for the largest differential (+25.6) in the NBA.

When including passes out of the pick and roll as well, his frequency increase (33.8 percent to 61.3 percent) is also the most significant (+27.5) in the NBA as well.

Phoenix is letting exploring what it looks like with Washington running the show on offense, and while the bigger offensive load and role is unexpected, it has paid dividends.

Despite the losing streak, the Suns actually have a positive net rating (0.8) during the minutes in which Washington has played since Dec. 20. He may not have enough to create wins for Phoenix, but he has already proven that he likely deserves a long-term spot in the rotation for this organization.

Sooner rather than later, the front office will need to convert his two-way contract to a guaranteed deal so that he can be an option on the floor in the postseason.

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2021 NBA draft class: Final rookie stat leaders for the 2021-22 season

Rookie Wire took a look back at which first-year players were among the leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists and more.

With the 2021-22 regular season wrapped up, observers of the NBA can now take a look back at the year that was and evaluate how each player performed, including the rookie class.

The group played at a high level throughout the season with several individuals emerging as potential future All-Stars. As a result, the Rookie of the Year voting is expected to be highly competitive with as many as five players in the running to win.

Rookie Wire took a look back at how the class performed and which players were among the leaders in key statistical categories, including scoring, rebounding and assists.

Note: Stat leaders are according to NBA.com.

Pacers converting Terry Taylor, Duane Washington to standard NBA contracts

The Pacers will convert the two-way contracts of Terry Taylor and Duane Washington Jr. to standard deals.

On Wednesday, it was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that the Indiana Pacers will convert the two-way deals of rookies Terry Taylor and Duane Washington Jr. to standard NBA contracts.

Taylor, who went undrafted last year out of Austin Peay, is averaging 9.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 31 games. He entered the rotation at the end of January and has played a larger role for the Pacers as the team looks ahead to next season.

Washington is posting 9.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 46 games, including seven starts. He set the Pacers franchise rookie record for 3-pointers on Jan. 24 with seven, surpassing the previous mark of six by Chuck Person and Chris Duarte.

The Pacers will waive rookie Keifer Sykes.

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Taylor and Washington each emerged as key players for the Pacers as of late and were both rewarded with long-term contracts. They stayed ready for their opportunity and will look to keep that momentum going into next season with the Pacers.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Pacers: Duane Washington Jr. set franchise rookie 3-point record

Washington had a career-high 21 points and a set franchise record for a rookie in a loss to the Pelicans.

Indiana Pacers guard Duane Washington Jr. on Monday registered a new career-high in points and a franchise record for a rookie in a 117-113 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Washington finished with 21 points, three assists and two rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting from 3-point range in 23 minutes. His seven 3-pointers set the franchise record by a rookie, surpassing the previous mark of six by Chuck Person and Chris Duarte.

He is just the second rookie ever to score 20 points without attempting a 2-pointer or free throw.

“I just had a good rhythm coming into the game and had a good warm-up,” Washington said. “My guys believe in me to make shots and they put me in some great positions tonight to make a lot. Just being confident in myself, and the coaches and players believing in me as well. Credit to them just as much as me believing in my abilities.”

Washington, who went undrafted last year out of Ohio State, is signed to a two-way contract with the Pacers. He had played sparingly for the first two months of the season but entered the rotation on Dec. 31 with the Pacers dealing with several injuries.

Since entering the rotation, Washington is averaging 10.3 points, 2.2 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 12 games on 36.5% shooting from 3-point range. He has taken full advantage of his newfound opportunity, something head coach Rick Carlisle has noticed.

He is always ready. He is always on. He has been a great practice player ever since summer league. He had some tremendous days in training camp and has had a lot of good games recently. He can shoot the ball. He knows how to play the game.

He brings energy and his presence on the floor creates a real positive vibe and a real positive movement factor for our team. For a guy that was undrafted and who is on a two-way contract, he has done a tremendous job.

The countless hours of work Washington has put in appear to be paying off for him. He has provided a real lift for the Pacers as of late and that production should ensure he continues to see playing time for the team moving forward.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Pacers’ Duane Washington Jr. couldn’t miss in summer league debut

Washington went 5-of-5 from 3-point range on Monday as the Pacers lost to the Knicks.

Duane Washington Jr. established himself as a strong shooter in three seasons at Ohio State and the undrafted guard continued that trend on Monday during his Las Vegas Summer League debut with the Indiana Pacers.

Washington finished the contest with a team-high 23 points, one rebound and one assist during the 94-86 loss to the New York Knicks. He went 8-of-9 from the field, including a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range, in nearly 21 minutes of action.

The 6-foot-3 guard, who signed a two-way contract with the Pacers last week, looked to be very comfortable on the court. In addition to his outside shooting, Washington also found success getting into the paint and finishing at the rim.

The performance by Washington certainly gave the organization and fans something to cheer about in the loss to New York. He proved to have little problem with the transition to the NBA game and looked to be one of the best players on the court.

Washington will split the upcoming season with the Pacers and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA G League and could be in store for a strong rookie campaign if Monday is any indication.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Pacers sign undrafted guard Duane Washington Jr. to two-way contract

Washington was named to the All-Big Ten third team last season after averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

On Thursday, the Indiana Pacers announced that they signed Ohio State Buckeyes guard Duane Washington Jr. to a two-way contract after going undrafted last week.

Washington was named to the All-Big Ten third team after averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 31 games as a junior. He reached 1,000 career points last season, becoming the 59th player in program history to reach that mark.

The 6-foot-3 standout elected to keep his name in the NBA draft this year after strong showings in the NBA G League Elite Camp and combine. He joined the Pacers following the draft with the news becoming official on Thursday.

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Washington can spend no more than 50 games with the Pacers while the rest of his time will be with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA G League. He will earn a flat salary equal to 50% of the minimum salary applicable to a player with zero years of service.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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A roundup of NBA sleepers draft analysts are higher on than others

Who owns the most real estate on Davion Mitchell Island? Who is buying stock in Sharife Cooper?

Everyone loves Cade Cunningham. It’s not a hot take for an analyst to say that Cunningham is their favorite player in the class. That’s not particularly interesting to read, either.

But what is fascinating, however, is when an analyst deviates from the norm and ranks someone significantly higher than where the prospect falls in other rankings. What does that tell us about their individual scouting process and what they value? Further, what does that tell us about the potential draftee?

Some folks call it “buying stock” in a player. Others, like ESPN’s Zach Lowe or The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, call it owning real estate on a player’s island. I like to refer to it as a “draft crush” when I wind up higher than consensus in my evaluation of a player.

My process is ridiculously tedious but the results can be fairly useful. I’ve tracked the evolution of more than sixty unique mock drafts, big boards and draft models from trusted analysts and popular accounts on Twitter.

Each placement is assigned a value based on Kevin Pelton’s draft pick trade value chart. I do this because, as Pelton notes, the difference in relative value between the No. 5 overall pick and the No. 7 overall is much more stark than, say, that of the No. 45 pick and the No. 47 pick.

After composing an aggregate score based on each ranking, I can see where each analyst strays from the pack.

I’ll leave the conclusions drawn from these results up to the reader. But if nothing else, this can eventually be used as a bragging point if one writer was higher than consensus on a draftee who eventually ends up outperforming his draft position.

2021 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0: Final rankings of the Top 100 prospects

With just over a week left until the 2021 NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it’s officially the most wonderful time of the year! 

With just over a week left until the 2021 NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it’s officially the most wonderful time of the year!

That means that after a slew of surprising early entry withdrawals impacted the worlds of both college and international basketball, the next generation of NBA talent is getting closer to entering the league. As players finalize their place on big boards in front offices, I wanted to offer my opinion on how I think those rankings should look.

Note that our list is certainly going to look different from the lists at ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report and other publications. Player evaluation is an inexact science. Part of the process is being willing to admit when you were wrong about a player.

But avoiding group-think and ending higher than consensus on a player is how an NBA team ends up selecting them in the draft. With that in mind, here is who I would target if I were running a front office.

Duane Washington Jr. will stay in NBA draft and forgo eligibility

Washington recently competed in the NBA draft combine after a strong showing in the NBA G League Elite Camp.

Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. on Tuesday told Jeff Goodman of Stadium that he will remain in the NBA draft and forgo his remaining collegiate eligibility.

Washington announced in April he would test the NBA waters while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. He earned an invitation to compete in the NBA draft combine after a strong showing in the NBA G League Elite Camp.

On Friday, Washington produced 17 points during the final combine scrimmage game, while he went 6-of-7 from the field. He emerged as one of the top prospects from the event and elected to keep his name in the draft following his performance.

Washington was named to the All-Big Ten third team after averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 31 games as a junior. He reached 1,000 career points this season, becoming the 59th player in program history to reach that mark.

The 6-foot-3 product is not currently projected to be selected by most mock drafts. However, he certainly helped improve his stock after the combine and Elite Camp and likely felt comfortable staying in the draft after interviewing with teams.

The NBA draft is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 29.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Duane Washington Jr. to participate in NBA G League Elite Camp

Washington was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team after averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 31 games with Ohio State.

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Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. has reportedly received an invitation to participate in the NBA G League Elite Camp, according to Chris Grenham of Forbes.

Washington was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team after averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 31 games as a junior. He reached 1,000 career points this season, becoming the 59th player in program history to reach that mark.

The 6-foot-3 guard announced in April he would test the NBA waters while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. In addition to competing in the G League Elite Camp, Washington previously worked out with the Boston Celtics.

The league announced in April that the G League Elite Camp would return this year and take place June 19-21 in Chicago. The scouting event gives prospects the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of NBA and G League scouts, coaches and front-office executives.

The top performers in the G League Elite Camp will have the opportunity to earn invitations to participate in the draft combine June 21-27. Overall, 11 players were invited to the combine from the G League Elite Camp in 2019 and five were eventually drafted.

The NBA draft is scheduled to take place on July 29.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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