Washington Wizards Assign Sheldon McClellan To Delaware 87ers
Washington Wizards announced on Tuesday that Sheldon McClellan will be heading to the NBA Developmental League for a short stint.
Sheldon McClellan struggled during NBA Summer League, but received a partially guaranteed deal from the Washington Wizards shortly after the 2016 NBA Draft and was essentially a lock to attend training camp.
Despite the early obstacle, the former Miami standout played well in training camp and preseason. He displayed flashes of his ability to score the ball.
At 6-foot-6, McClellan is a prototypical shooting guard, capable of scoring off the dribble and in catch-and-shoot situations.
McClellan, Danuel House and Daniel Ochefu all earned final roster spots in Washington after going undrafted in the summer.
All three players have upside and possess talent that’s transferable to the modern NBA. McClellan’s versatility makes him a solid project and Scott Brooks had success with similar players during his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But for some reason, none of the rookies have gotten much playing time, even though the veterans haven’t produced.
Marcus Thornton and Jason Smith, in particular, have been incredibly underwhelming.
Brooks had a reputation of relying on veterans in Oklahoma City and became infamous for playing Derek Fisher and Kendrick Perkins – two players who had no business being in the NBA, let alone on the court.
Thornton and Smith have been their equivalents in Washington, leaving no playing time for the aforementioned rookies.
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Recently, the Wizards assigned House to the NBA D-League for a short stint.
On Tuesday night, the team announced that McClellan would be sent to the Delware 87ers.
If his stint is anything like House’s, McClellan will likely return to the Washington Wizards within the next week.
In limited minutes, McClellan has averaged 5 points per game and scored 15 points in his first start for the Wizards.
Even though he produced relatively well, McClellan was benched in favor of Thornton.
He recently got some national attention after a video leaked of him beating John Wall in a game of one-on-one.
McClellan can obviously score, and given how awful the Washington Wizards’ bench has been this season, it’s surprising that Brooks hasn’t given him more playing time.
If the Wizards continue to lose and the playoffs become an unrealistic goal, then McClellan will likely see a rise in his minutes.
But for now, he’ll spend some time developing in the NBA D-League. That, I guess, is better than rotting on the bench.
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