Will Washington's 15th man offer anything this season?
Barring any unforeseen injuries or trades, the Washington Wizards already know what their opening night roster looks like. And the last man standing is Garrett Temple, the lowest-paid player on the team.
Temple is a solid fourth guard with tremendous size and a solid NBA pedigree. He's played for six teams in five seasons, but has been with Washington since the lockout.
Here's The Washington Post with a closer look at what the Wizards can expect from Temple this season, and why he needs to stay ready even if he's not in the rotation:
Temple started 18 games last year, and averaged 3.9 points per 14.1 minutes in his 52 total appearances. If he can knock down open shots, handle the ball and play some defense, the Wizards will get more from their final roster spot than most teams can dream about.
The expectation was Temple would assume that role again this season when the Wizards stocked up on wing players over the offseason. They signed Gary Neal and Alan Anderson, traded for Jared Dudley and drafted Kelly Oubre Jr. to go with Martell Webster, Otto Porter Jr. and Beal. But injuries have modified the plan again. This time, Anderson and Webster are expected to miss significant time. Add Oubre’s inexperience and Temple could find himself on the court more than expected once again. “That’s kind of what he does,” Coach Randy Wittman said. “Always, as a coach, I love having guys like that on the team, that can sit there and now step in and he believes in himself, and the teammates believe in him.”
