The Washington Wizards are the NBA’s hottest team.
And they’re only getting healthier.
According to CSN Mid-Atlantic’s J. Michael, the Wizards are hopeful that Ian Mahinmi, their biggest offseason addition, will be ready to rock before the NBA’s All-Star break:
The Wizards, other league sources said, believe that Mahinmi has a chance to play before the All-Star break that begins after a Feb. 16 road game at the Indiana Pacers. That’s eight games, starting Tuesday vs. the N.Y. Knicks, but Mahinmi has to go full-contact practice before he can play.
This is a big deal for the Wizards. Mahinmi, whom they penned to a four-year, $64 million deal over the summer, has appeared in just one game while coping with various knee injuries. When healthy, he stands to drum up their defensive value quite a bit.
No, head coach Scott Brooks won’t want to get in the habit of playing him beside Marcin Gortat. The Wizards are better running four-out, sometimes five-out, lineups and Mahinmi doesn’t boost their floor-spacing.
But the Wizards have gotten this far, just 2.5 games off the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, with a crummy bench and a lot of Jason Smith. Adding Mahinmi to the rotation, even in a limited capacity, can basically be viewed as a trade-deadline acquisition.
