Behind the curtain with Wizards Big Taj Gibson (10-18-22)

By: Tyrone Montgomery Jr.

Headline Photo Credit: Bullets Forever

Every team needs a Bill Russell on their team. Now, when I say Bill Russell, I’m not referring to the skillset that Bill Russell had. Sure, Bill was one of the best to ever do it and of course that would be nice to have a player as talented as that on your team. What I mean when I say a Bill Russell type player is a leader both on and off the court. Someone who still wears the jersey but may not play in the game. Someone that can be likened to Udonis Haslem over in Miami with the Heat. That player for the Washington Wizards is Taj Gibson. Unlike Haslem and Russell, Taj Gibson is still searching for a championship. On the other hand, like Haslem and Russell, Taj Gibson has had himself an amazing career. He has always been a tough guy on the floor. He’s big and strong on the block. Those bigs that were going up against him in his prime simply hated it. Gibson didn’t give up any easy baskets on the floor. He also has the skillset to hit those open mid range shots, something all teams endeavor for nowadays. Floor spacing is a must in the NBA. Taj Gibson has been at this going on 13 years now! Like Udonis Haslem and Bill Russell, he really is a player coach at this point of his career. He has a lot of miles on that 6’9 body of his. He spent time playing alongside some of the NBA Greats. Those greats include Derrick Rose (Bulls), Russell Westbrook (Thunder), Jimmy Butler (Timberwolves), Karl Anthony Towns (Timberwolves), and he also has spent some time in New York with the Knicks as well. Now, he is playing alongside one of the best scorers in the league, Bradley Beal. The blueprint was there for Taj ever since his college days where he played at the University of South Carolina. There, he won the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year Award. He has brought that tough defensive mentality everywhere he played in the NBA. This season, we can count on Taj to bring that same defensive mentality rather he’s on the floor or encouraging his teammates and being that veteran player coach every team needs. Taj will prove to be a great addition for the Wizards.