Tomas Satoransky scored a career high 19 points on 7 of 9 shooting against the Orlando Magic on Saturday, leading the Wizards to a big 115-98 win. You can watch highlights of his performance on Saturday in the video above.
Satoransky didn’t just have a career performance. He also shot three of three from the three point line (a lot of threes I know!), all from the corner. Below is his shot chart from Saturday’s game:
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Though three point shooting isn’t Satoransky’s strongest suit, he made the most of his chances when he’s open. He is now shooting 42.9 percent (21 of 49 shots) from deep. Six of those made threes came in the last four games when Satoransky started in place of John Wall, who’s out for at least six weeks as he recovers from a left knee injury and procedure he had last week.
With Wall out, Satoransky’s minutes and production have gone up as you might expect. So far, Satoransky is averaging 5.4 points and 2.8 assists this season in 17 minutes per game for the season. But in the last four games, he’s averaging 11 points, 5.8 assists in 26 minutes per game. His shooting percentage and usage rates have also moved up incrementally since he was inserted to the Wizards’ starting lineup.
The Wizards have adopted an ”Everybody eats” mentality since Wall was sidelined for the second time this season. The team has shared the ball more than it has all season long. The end results of that isn’t a game of “hot potato.” Rather, it’s coming in the form of more made shots and wins.
Satoransky is a major part of that effort. Sure, Satoranksy’s not going to drive to the hoop as often as Wall, even if he can posterize someone when he feels like it. But after a year and a half of actual NBA experience, it’s clear that the Wizards’ second round pick from 2012 is coming into his own when the team needs him the most.