Former Washington Wizards (Where Are They Now?): The Trials and Triumphs of the Trevors

By David Statman | Jan 22, 2015

They were vital parts of the best Washington Wizards team in a decade. The Trevors; Trevor Ariza and Trevor Booker. The only two Trevors in the NBA, as a matter of fact, destined by fate to have their paths meet. Trevor Ariza was a Wizard for two years, Booker for four – we all carry fond memories of them in our hearts, for they are now departed from us.

This year, Ariza has found his spot seamlessly filled by Paul Pierce, while Booker (whose hold on a rotation space was tenuous to begin with) has been replaced by his good buddy Kevin Seraphin. The second-place Wizards have not missed the Trevors – but have the Trevors missed DC?

As John Wall transformed into Optimus Dime, the perfect offensive weapon, Trevor Ariza took his place as one of the most destructive 3-and-D wings in the world. Our hookah hero, our chillest of bruhs, Ariza turned in perhaps the best season of his career in 2013-14, nailing 180 three-pointers and shooting over 40% from downtown for his first time as a pro. As Ariza returned to Houston in free agency, most expected that his offense would take a hit without the constant stream of glorious, wide-open looks that John Wall fed to him every single night as a Wizard.

But Ariza’s shooting has taken a bigger hit than most people anticipated.

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After a season in which he shot 45.7% from the field overall and 40.7% from three, Athreeza’s percentages have gone down to 37.4% and 33.0%, respectively – at one point this season he shot under 50% for 27 straight games, tying Ricky Davis (his polar opposite in numerous ways) for the longest such streak in the 21st century.

That’s… yeesh. The John Wall Effect is real, but could it really be this potent?

Ariza’s actually taking more threes than ever: 60% of his field goal attempts this year are from beyond the arc, up from about 51% last season. Of these, about 82% are catch-and-shoot – Ariza hit 43% of these last season, but only 33% this season. This decline could easily be explained away by the fact that John Wall isn’t getting him open looks – last season 87% of Ariza’s 3-point attempts came when the defender was four or more feet away from him.

As expected, the proportion of open treys that Trevor Ariza has gotten this season has absolutely swan-dived… all the way down to 80%. That’s the John Wall Effect right there: 7% of Trevor Ariza’s three-point attempts that were once wide open now aren’t, and his three-point percentage has in turn gone down 7%. Still, the disappointing fact remains that Trevor Ariza is open on four out of every five three-pointers that he takes this season, and he’s still only making 33%.

Will Ariza ever return to last year’s offensive efficiency? Doesn’t really seem likely.

Going into last season, Trevor Ariza’s career three-point percentage sat at 32.5%, and he’s returned to that range again. John Wall got the man paid. But luckily for the Houston Rockets, Trevor Ariza is still a cold, cold defensive player. Ariza is going up against much more potent offensive players in the Western Conference, and despite regularly guarding his opponent’s #1 option, he’s still holding his man below their season averages on the perimeter.

Ariza’s also nabbing a career-high two steals per game, fourth in the NBA and hot on the heels of his old pal John Wall. Having a stopper like that alone is worth the money the Rockets spent to get him. Guys who can do stuff like this don’t grow on trees. Lord Threeza, summon the power.

Speaking of power, let’s talk about Trevor Booker, the man who was long my favorite Wizard. Despite his athleticism and manic hustle, Booker will most likely never be anything more than a role player – his lack of finely developed skills, bad height and defensive shortcomings ensure that – but his passion and effort will make him a fan favorite wherever he goes.

Despite this, Booker found himself in-and-out of the rotation last year, and was seemingly supplanted for good by the shocking emergence of Drew Gooden at the end of the 2013-14 season. But Booker not only played huge minutes in the Wizards’ first round series against the Bulls, his energy was a huge reason why the Wizards were able to win – and sure enough, he found himself right back on the bench for the second round against Indiana.

The Utah Jazz are not good, but Trevor Booker has at last found a regular role, playing 20 minutes a night, every night. It’s not much, but it’s enough.

Booker has been one of the only consistent performers on a terrible Utah second unit – he’s averaging seven points and four rebounds a game, and his defensive performance has been much improved from his days in DC. Oh, and did I mention that he’s taking threes now?

In four years as a member of the Washington Wizards, Booker took a total of 10 threes. He made one.

It was the night of March 7, 2012, and it came as part of one of the best games of his career: an 18-point, 17-rebound effort that helped lift the Washington Wizards to an upset win over the Los Angeles Lakers. For comparison, Nick Young took nine threes that night, and missed eight of them; Jordan Crawford took six, and missed them all. Efficiency.

This season, Booker has taken 39 threes, exactly one a game, and he’s actually made 14 of them. Do the math: that’s 35.9%. In the year 2015, TR3VOR BOOK3R is a better three-point shooter than Trevor Ariza. And another thing: Trevor Booker made legitimately the shot of the year on January 9: the ridiculous, physics-breaking no-look volleyball flip that you’ve no doubt seen a hundred times by now.

So what if the Utah Jazz retired the number 35 for Darrell Griffith, and Booker can no longer wear the number he has tattooed extremely conspicuously on his shoulder? It’s not that bad to be Trevor Booker right about now. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Next: Appreciating the Washington Wizards' Recent Success (Midseason Review)

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