Washington Wizards Finally Getting Return On Ian Mahinmi Investment

Washington Wizards waited months to finally see Ian Mahinmi on the court and the 7-footer is finally beginning to produce for Scott Brooks.

For most of the 2016-17 NBA season, Washington Wizards center Ian Mahinmi has been sitting on the bench, in a suit, quietly collecting his annual $16 million.

Washington whiffed on all of the top free agents this past summer, and with hopes of revitalizing the team’s defense and second unit, Ernie Grunfeld threw $64 million at Mahinmi.

Mahinmi, who was coming off the best season of his career with the Indiana Pacers, was supposed to compete with Marcin Gortat for the team’s starting center spot. Mahinmi, a higher salaried player than Gortat, was a top-10 defender in the league this past year and was surprisingly efficient in the pick and roll.

But injuries sidelined Mahinmi before he even stepped foot onto the Wizards’ hardwood. He underwent left knee surgery and then hurt his other knee during rehab.

Scott Brooks was forced to rely on Jason Smith, who rocked a negative player efficiency rating at the beginning of the season, and the team’s bench plummeted to the bottom in terms of productivity.

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Even now that Smith has found his rhythm from the perimeter, becoming a consistent shooter outside the paint, Washington’s bench has struggled to find its identity.

Mahinmi, after months of not playing, has been thrust into the rotation by Brooks.

Naturally, Mahinmi had a difficult time adjusting to the speed of the game after being cleared to play, posting up bagel statistics during his first few games with the Wizards.

Mahinmi seemed stiff – unable to run the pick and roll, protect the paint or compete on the glass against athletic bigs.

Some questioned whether Smith, who’s only getting $15 million through three years (less than what Mahinmi will make in one), should be getting playing time over Mahinmi.

But the experiment is finally beginning to pan out for the Washington Wizards and Brooks.

Slowly, Mahinmi has gotten his spring back. He’s chased after rebounds inside, altered shots and nullified pick and rolls. His defensive prowess has been on full display, but his sneaky offense is beginning to show up now, too.

Against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, Mahinmi scored 15 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and stole the ball 7 times off the bench. Gortat picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter, giving Mahinmi a chance to play with the starters.

Much like Gortat, Mahinmi benefited from the team’s spacing, often pinning smaller defenders and scoring inside with no resistance. His willingness to run the floor also gives him an opportunity to clean up misses off fastbreaks.

Capable of anchoring a defense and becoming a sneaky offensive option, Mahinmi has given the Wizards’ bench somewhat of an identity (although the team needs to play consistently for it to be truly formed).

Behind his energy, shot blocking and scoring inside, the Wizards’ second unit is reminiscent of the 2015 team – big, gritty and defensive-minded. Smith, like Mahinmi, does a solid job of altering shots, too. Kelly Oubre and Bojan Bogdanovic both utilize their length to disrupt the opposition.

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Before the NBA Playoffs begin, it’s important that Washington’s second unit solidifies itself. If Mahinmi can play at this level for the rest of the season, the bench will be well on its way.

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