Washington Wizards: Mike Scott deserves more minutes

The Washington Wizards should look to Mike Scott for an internal jumpstart

Last season, the Washington Wizards had one of the NBA’s worst bench units. This offseason Washington signed new players to help bolster their bench.

One of the signee’s that’s paying off for the Wizards has been Mike Scott.

Scott signed for the veterans minimum after a rough 2016. He struggled in Atlanta amid legal issues before being traded and subsequently cut by the Phoenix Suns. The forward from Chesapeake, Virginia who played his college ball at the University of Virginia decided to sign the Wizards and play closer to home.

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Scott has not only helped the Wizards bench with scoring but the forward is posting career high numbers in several key categories. He’s shooting a career-high 57.2 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from 3, also a career-high.

Scott is averaging 20.9 minutes per game which is the most in his career and putting up 9.3 points per game.

His play lately has been outstanding. In wins over Portland and Phoenix he went 8-8 from the field, scoring 18 total points while only playing 28 combined minutes.

His performance in those two games led to him playing 27 minutes in the next game against the Clippers. He rewarded the coaching staffs decision by going 9-11 and putting up 22 points along with eight rebounds.

In the four games since, Scott has scored 8, 10, 22 and 19 points while playing over 23 minutes in 3 of those 4 contests.

With Scott’s recent play along with injuries to key players such as Morris, Washington needs to give Scott more minutes.

Scott has played 20 minutes or more in just 11 games this season, but has also played less than nine minutes in four contests. If the Washington Wizards want to jumpstart their season, perhaps Mike Scott off the bench could be the key.

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Washington has aspirations to compete at a high level in the Eastern Conference; right now, they’re currently the 8th seed in the conference. As Markieff Morris continues to struggle with injury, Scott is the man to fill the void left by the veteran big. And so far this season, when given the opportunity, he hasn’t disappointed.