Washington Wizards: Ranking The Top 5 Big Men In Recent Franchise History
By Ben Mehic
5) Pervis Ellison
For those who don’t remember, Pervis Ellison was the number 1 overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings and was traded just one year later to Washington for Jeff Malone and a draft pick.
The trade for Ellison signified a reboot for John Nash’s Bullets:
"“We have a building block. This might indicate a new direction and a new beginning. We’ve obtained quality youth in Pervis.”"
Ellison was a skilled, finesse center for Washington.
In his four seasons, he averaged 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game on 52 percent shooting from the field.
His best stretch of basketball – the stretch where he looked like a legitimate building block for a rebuilding team – came from 1991-1993. During that stretch, Ellison averaged 18.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game on 53.2 pecent shooting from the field.
His problem, however, was health.
Injuries quickly ravaged what looked like a burgeoning career.
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During his time in Washington, Ellison only managed to play in 232 games; an average of 58 games per season.
A knee surgery at the end of the 1993 season seemed to be the undoing of Pervis Ellison and he bottomed out in the 1993-1994 season, averaging just 7.3 points per game in 47 games (24 starts).
With the emergence of Tom Gugliotta, who was drafted by the team in 1992, Ellison was allowed to leave in free agency to the Boston Celtics in the 1994 off-season.
Why is Ellison included on this list ahead of the likes of Brendan Haywood, Tom Gugliotta and Harvey Grant?
It’s a fair question and there was debate amongst the staff about who should round out the top-5. We eventually decided on Ellison because he was a two-way player who played efficiently at his peak in Washington.
In his two best seasons in Washington, he had a TS% of .568 and a WS (Win-share) or 10.7.
His ORtg was 109 and DRtg was 106, signifying the value he added when he was able to take the court.
Watching Pervis Ellison, I will surely remember his shot blocking prowess and especially how Phil Chenier would laud him for his controlled blocks where he retained possession.
Ellison was a good player for part of his short time in Washington and had the potential to be a building block. If it wasn’t for injuries, he likely would have ended up further up on this list and cemented as a fixture in Bullets/Wizards history.
Next: 4) Gortat