Where in the World is Washington Wizards 2015 Second Round Pick Aaron White

Washington Wizards 2015 draft pick Aaron White has been playing abroad since being drafted. With the Wizards needing young talent, could he be an option?

Last summer, I asked the same question, Where is Aaron White? Shortly after the post, it came out that he was signing with a Russian team and would not be joining the Wizards for training camp, or the regular season.

This wasn’t a surprising or disappointing decision. Because of the front office’s offseason signings, a young project big man was simply not a need. It still isn’t a huge need, but because of salary cap restrictions, could be an interesting option as the summer goes on.

It’s not uncommon for players drafted in the second round to never play in the league, but as long as the Wizards have his rights, it’s nice to keep tabs on him.

In the past, Washington has been unwilling to give White a roster spot until he could prove to be a missing piece to the team. He needed to improve his jump shot, and grow more comfortable creating on the perimeter. At a long 6’8″, he has the physical tools, but still needs time to develop, just like all second round picks.

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This season, White played for BC Zenit Saint Petersburg. He did an interview with Ridiculous Upside back in January where he discussed his goals for his second professional season, saying, “Right now my goal is to be one of the of the best players in Europe.”

He went on to talk about the chances of him joining the Wizards for summer league:

"“I don’t think it’s beneficial for me. If an NBA team or the Wizards right now think I’m good enough to be on the roster then it will happen. I don’t think I can improve my worth in five or six games in the Summer League. I’m more of a system player and play as a team and make the right reads and cuts kind of guy.”"

It’s disappointing that White won’t be playing in summer league, but it is understandable. The players that shine in summer league are the potential stars, high scorers, and elite defenders.

There’s not much he can prove in summer league that he can’t or hasn’t while playing abroad. In the long run, if he wants to eventually make a team, he is probably better suited to continue training with his teammates, and not learning new sets while working with undrafted players who will be fighting hard to make a great impression.

White is also under contract with his Russian team for another season, so he’s likely comfortable playing through next season before evaluating his possibilities at making the NBA.

So how did he do in year two?

In 28 games this season, he averaged 9.6 points and 6.8 rebounds. He scored a season-high and team-high 22 points on May 25th in a playoff game against BC Khimki. He spoke to the local media after the game.

In that game he also matched his season high with 3 three-pointers, potentially going towards showing the Wizards front office that he is expanding his range. On the season he shot an impressive 37.8% from deep, making 34 of 90 attempts.

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His team eventually lost in the semifinals of the postseason tournament, but he had a strong quarterfinals series. In the three games, he averaged 17 points and shot 54.5% from three (6/11).

His semifinals performance so far seems to have dipped considerably, however. In the three games played, against Khimki, White has the 22 point Game 1, and five points combined in the last two games.

On May 30, the entire team seems to have played poorly, as they lost 97-73. White’s +/- was -28. Zenit still holds a 2-1 lead in the best of five series.

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Considering the level of competition isn’t on the same level of other European leagues, the stats will come with a grain of salt, but White certainly made improvements from his prior season in Germany. Assuming he stays in Russia next season, I think any potential move to the NBA would come in the 2018-19 season.

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