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The Washington Wizards have announced their roster that will be competing in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas starting on July 12. They will hold a mini-camp all throughout this week and will then fly out to Vegas to play the first of three preliminary round games starting on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EDT against the Atlanta Hawks. The second game will be Sunday at 10:30 p.m. against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the third will be Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against the Miami Heat.
- Khem Birch, F, UNLV (R)
- Deonte Burton, PG, Nevada (R)
- Ian Chiles, C, Morgan State (R)
- Jarell Eddie, F, Virginia Tech (R)
- Kim English, G, Chorale Roanne (France)
- Charles Garcia, F, Ali Muharraq (Bahrain)
- Christian Kabongo, G, Idaho Stampede (D-League)
- Frantz Massenat, G, Drexel (R)
- Daniel Miller, G, Georgia Tech (R)
- Daniel Orton, C, Maine Redclaws (D-League)
- Otto Porter, F, Wizards
- Glen Rice Jr, G, Wizards
- Daniel Theis, F, Brose Bask (Germany) (R)
- Kwame Vaughn, G, Agrigento (Italy) (R)
- Maalik Wayns, G, Rio Grande Valley (D-League)
- Jamil Wilson, F, Marquette (R)
You know all about Porter and Rice Jr, but there's a very solid supporting cast around the two. Deonte Burton, who will presumably step in and do the bulk of the ball handling has an interesting skill set that could raise a few eyebrows in an uptempo setting. He had one of the lowest turnover rates in college basketball last season despite dominating the ball and playing nearly 39 minutes a game. He can play the pick and roll and has the athleticism to really make a name for himself.
I talked about Khem Birch before the draft, and he'll certainly attract some attention if he can prove to be an effective low post anchor on defense. He's not big enough to play center and not skilled enough offensively to operate as a power forward, but he's a freak athlete with an uncanny ability to time his blocks.
There's definitely a lot more rookies this year than in the past. Most of them worked out for the Wizards during the pre-draft process (Chiles, Birch, Burton, Eddie, Massenat, and Miller), and out of that group, I'm sure they were at least targeted in the second round.
The spotlight will be on Porter and Rice Jr however. They are the only two locks to make Washington's 15-man roster this season, which is a lot different from last year where they shared the distinction with Chris Singleton and Jan Vesely. They will have every opportunity to prove themselves this time around.