Washington Wizards

Jared Dudley will finally make his Wizards debut this week

Published Oct. 20, 2015 11:39 a.m. ET

foxsports

Jared Dudley had back surgery over the summer. It's obviously a scary injury, and one no 30-year-old professional athlete wants to have. But the new Washington Wizard is almost fully recovered, and should make his preseason debut this week.

Here's The Washington Post with more on what Dudley had to say about his own timetable:

Dudley's significance is huge. He's a stretch four who fits perfectly into Washington's new system, which promotes speed, versatility and outside shooting.

The Wizards are able to unlock several different five-man units with Dudley that they otherwise wouldn't be able to play. His value extends way beyond box score production, and Randy Wittman must be thrilled to have him back.

Dudley began his second week of practice with his most rigorous session yet Monday and reported that he remained pain-free. But the veteran said the decision to play Wednesday wasn’t his alone and that his status remained uncertain, though he definitely expects to play in Washington’s exhibition finale against the Toronto Raptors in Montreal on Friday. “If I don’t go Wednesday, then I would be shocked if I didn’t go at least Friday,” Dudley said.