The Wizards fell to 0-2 in Summer League action with a 91-87 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday afternoon.
After Washington’s bench carried the load on Saturday, the starters did more to help in this one. Sheldon Mac led all scorers with an efficient 18 points on 10 shots. Unfortunately, Mac wasn’t as efficient in handling the ball. He had a 1:4 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The passing issues were a team-wide trend. Washington finished 23 turnovers and only 9 assists. Six different Wizards committed at least two turnovers.
They also let the Heat get 38 free throws in a choppy game where neither team could find a steady rhythm. Seven of the ten players who got playing time in this committed at least four fouls. Daniel Ochefu committed 9 fouls by himself, finishing just one short of fouling out in Summer League’s relaxed format, where players can commit up to 10 fouls.
Washington will be back in action Tuesday evening against the Chicago Bulls at 6 p.m. ET.
Game Notes
Marcus Keene shows some promise
The undrafted rookie out of Central Michigan had some nice moments during his 11 minutes of action off the bench.
He seemed intent on shedding his label as a shoot-first guard in this one. He wound up with more assists (3) than shot attempts (2) and that doesn’t even include a few good scoring opportunities that his teammates botched. That said, when he did call his own number on this play, he made a very nice move to get open:
That step back from @marcus3keene #WizHeat #WizSummer pic.twitter.com/UbZ4smwZnb
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) July 10, 2017
Defensively, he had his share of issues - some because of his stature, some because he was just out of position - but all in all it was an encouraging performance. It would be nice to see him get some more opportunities in Las Vegas to have a chance at earning a two-way deal.
Random fun fact
Ike Diogu played against Nick Van Exel in his first career NBA game. He had 8 points and 5 rebounds off the bench for the Wizards in this one.
McCullough shows off the good and the bad
If you need a highlight that sums up McCullough’s career to date, this one does the best job:
So, this play was weird. #Wizards pic.twitter.com/DacCqB4Btf
— CSN Wizards (@CSNWizards) July 10, 2017
There’s clearly some intriguing talent there, it just hasn’t come together in the way everyone would have hoped just yet. It might not be the best idea to consider him this year’s first round pick, but you can see why he’s intriguing. Here’s to hoping he can figure out a way to show some more flashes the rest of the week.