Sitting a half-game out of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, they sought to bolster their depth by acquiring forward Tobias Harris from Orlando on Tuesday and big man Donatas Motiejunas and guard Marcus Thornton from Houston in a three-team deal on Thursday.
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It’s probably too quick to say the Morris trade helped the Wizards leapfrog the Pistons, but if nothing else it gets them one win closer to getting back in the playoff hunt.
Guard John Wall had 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Washington Wizards remained sharp after the All-Star break with a 98-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
Even better: Of this core of players, which also includes Marcus Morris and Jodie Meeks who are under contract until at least 2017, Meeks is the oldest at 28. “Play defense. But two games coming out of the break, it’s great to see that we’re back to doing what we used to do”. Twin brother Markieff will be suiting up for his first game with the Wizards on Friday night.
Markieff Morris is expected to eventually start at power forward, but the fifth-year player came off the bench Friday to record six points on 2-for-8 shooting and two rebounds in 22 minutes. Guard Bradley Beal scored 17 points and center Marcin Gortat had 15 for the Wizards (25-28), who held their second straight opponent to fewer than 90 points. In their November meeting in Detroit, Washington’s reserves outscored the Pistons’ bench 51-15. All-star center Andre Drummond compiled 11 points and 13 rebounds but didn’t grab an offensive rebound for just the third game this season. And I don’t think it’s a secret that we’ve been looking for more veteran stability on the roster. They were given a combined $52 million – well below the total they would’ve garnered in free agency last summer.
Morris, Motiejunas, Harris and Reggie Jackson were all products of the 2011 draft, taken from 14th to 24th. The forward gets a fresh start after he was suspended for two games in December after throwing a towel at then-coach Jeff Hornacek and got into a physical altercation with a teammate during a game last week. The Wizards made a nice trade of their own in picking up disgruntled Markieff Morris from the Suns. The organization concluded the five-year veteran’s versatile skill set – he’s listed at 6 feet 10 and can play the three front-court positions – and team-friendly contract were worth the gamble.
“I thought he played really well”, Beyer said of Harris.
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“We needed someone who will play with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder and has something to prove, ” general manager Ernie Grunfeld said. “If that’s the case, you’re going to live with a guy having to miss three or four games every once in a while to get a guy of his talent”. “We keep in touch and they just know me as a person”.
