Carrington Leads Washington Over Atlanta In Summer League Debut (7-13-24)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: NBA
Las Vegas, NV- The opening day of the Summer League Competition for both the Wizards and Hawks kicked off Friday evening at the Thomas & Mack Center. Atlanta (0-1) secured the first overall pick in this year’s draft and took France native Zacharie Risacher. In contrast, the Wizards took fellow French big man Alex Sarr at number two overall who was projected as the number one player in the class but Atlanta liked Risacher as the better fit.
But onto the action, Sarr and Washington (1-0) took care of business defeating the Hawks 94-88 in the closely tight contest. The first and second overall picks had nice moments throughout the game showcasing their strengths. Nothing will make you lose your mind and go crazy, but it’s to be expected as they are both 19-year-olds who are still polishing their skills and will develop with more game-time experience.
Risacher showed off his ability to stretch the floor hitting some nice jump shots from inside & outside, and created some of those scoring opportunities off the dribble with excellent handling.
Sarr started the game a little slow, not getting as many looks in the first half, and was a little slow-moving defensively. But as the game went on you started to see him find his stride. Sarr had a nice 3 block sequence where he swatted two underneath shots back-to-back displaying the length and athleticism he brings on that end. Had a nice side-step dribble into a 3-point bucket, and showed his ability to handle the ball to create separation. Sarr ultimately had 12 points, 7 rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and a steal.
Wizards draft pick Bub Carrington was outstanding tonight. Carrington led all scorers with 19 points on 4/8 shooting from three, dishing out 8 assists, and grabbing 9 rebounds almost picking up a triple-double. He was aggressive and active throughout the whole game, really bringing an energy to the team that was needed. Bub kicked off the scoring on the opening possession off the jump ball, hitting a moving three-pointer from the wing. In the third quarter, Carrington continued to show the shooting stroke hitting back-to-back three-pointer buckets receiving a 360 pass from a dive cutting Justin Champagnie for a corner three, and then another moving three from the wing off the screen.
Speaking of Champagne he was everywhere on both sides of the court, and finished with 18 points, 5 assists, four rebounds, one steal, one block, and was a plus 18 when on the floor. Washington’s final first-round pick guard Kyshawn George had 7 points, 5 assists, three rebounds, and two steals in 22 minutes of play. Not the most world-beating stats you see the rawness in his game. Like the others, he has work to do committed some sloppy passes, possessions, and fouls but showed you why Washington selected him and if he can continue to develop you have a late-round steal in the 6″7″ guard.
2022 first-round pick Johnny Davis had a bad first half but responded well in the second just picking up the energy and effectiveness in his play.
Jules Bernard hit two three-pointers as he fights for a continued opportunity to remain in D.C.
Rough game for Eugene Omoruyi, the forward was too sloppy with his decision-making and seemed to be rushing his shot looks at times.
Wizards play the Rockets tonight at 6 p.m. on ESPN 2. The Hawks take on San Antonio afterward at 8 p.m.
