Brandon Jennings Should Get More Minutes With Bradley Beal's Lingering Ankle Injury
The Washington Wizards are 3-3 so far after the All-Star break. As they approach their final games of the season, a minutes adjustment may be in order for Brandon Jennings.
The Washington Wizards are still figuring things out since the break ended. With point guard Brandon Jennings on the roster and a five-game road trip on the slate, it may be time to give Jennings more minutes.
After all, he was averaging 24.6 minutes per game with the New York Knicks despite their record. They're still in good shape at third in the Eastern Conference, with their recent 115-114 win over the Orlando Magic coming within the final seconds.
The Wizards are now 1-2 against the Magic this season, escaping a season sweep. The team nearly went without shooting guard Bradley Beal as well, who twisted his left ankle in the first quarter.
Bradley Beal just went to the locker room after twisting his left ankle on this play. #WizMagic pic.twitter.com/mYl9yj78UT
— CSN Wizards (@CSNWizards) March 5, 2017
But Beal would return to action, playing 40 minutes in the game. He scored 32 points, dished out four assists, grabbed three rebounds and got two steals. He shot 12-for-21 from the floor and 3-for-5 from three. It was Beal's 11th 30-point game of the season.
Beal showed his toughness, playing 40 minutes in the game despite his bum ankle. But is it worth the risk? After all, Beal did just sign a five-year, $130 million extension last summer. With pieces to work with off the bench, it may be worth giving Beal some rest.
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Since the All-Star break, Beal has averaged 37.3 minutes per game. Before the break, he was playing just 34.4 minutes per game. With Bojan Bogdanovic playing well off the bench and point guard Brandon Jennings in the fold, now may be the time to dial it back with Beal a bit.
Adjusting Jennings' Minutes
Granted, Beal is scoring 28.2 points with 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game after the All-Star break. But his teammate, forward Otto Porter Jr., is in a bit of a slump. Adjusting Jennings' minutes is more about getting Porter Jr. some open looks than anything else.
Beal played a great game against the Magic, don't get me wrong. But Jennings didn't do so bad either in just 16 minutes of play. He only had two points, but he also dished out seven assists.
Three of those came in fourth quarter of the Wizards' comeback. Jennings played six and a half minutes in the quarter and did a good job on offense, cutting the Magic's deficit to two points. When Wall and Beal returned, the Wizards won, which is all well and good.
But with their next stretch of games, the Wizards may want to look into getting Jennings more minutes with starters on the floor.
The Wizards enter a five-game West Coast road trip which will surely be challenging.
First, they'll face the Phoenix Suns on March 7. On March 8, they'll face the Denver Nuggets. The Sacramento Kings are up next on March 10. The next night, they face the Portland Trail Blazers on March 11. Then on March 13, they'll face the Minnesota Timberwolves before returning home.
Guard Play Warrants More Play for Jennings
One good thing about these teams is that some of them play a lot of guards. With guard play being the focus, the timing is right to put Jennings in the rotation more. The key to the Wizards' success this season has been team play.
With seven assists last game, Jennings is ready to contribute.
The Suns have point guard Eric Bledsoe, shooting guard Devin Booker as well as point guard Tyler Ulis, who is playing well. The Nuggets and Kings are another story, but still shouldn't be overlooked as games where Jennings can play a lot.
The Trail Blazers can mix it up, although Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum do have the green light on offense. The Timberwolves have point guard Ricky Rubio and rookie Kris Dunn, even though they feature Karl-Anthony Towns.
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Head coach Scott Brooks can play Jennings and John Wall at the same time. Jennings and Wall combined for 17 of the Wizards' 26 assists in the 115-114 win over the Magic. Together, they could prove to be a lethal combination and give Beal some added rest.
Working in a Two-Point Rotation
With Jennings and Wall on the floor, it can also open up the floor for Porter to get some open looks. Porter has struggled since the All-Star break. He went scoreless for the first time all season against the Toronto Raptors back on March 1.
Granted the Wizards won 105-96, but things haven't been good for Porter of late.
Porter is shooting 38.8 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent from three in six games since the break. He is averaging 9.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game since the All-Star Weekend festivities.
Jennings has already added to the notion he's in a better place saying the Wizards' are better than his previous team because they play together.
With two point guards in Wall and Jennings on the floor, it can give the Wizards an opportunity to get Porter out of his current slump. Jennings is averaging 4.5 assists through two games so far.
With so much offense in Wall, Porterand Bogdanovic, Jennings' ability can be used to get these guys looks as well.
