Wiz of Awes
Fansided

Washington Wizards Bring In Villanova’s Kris Jenkins for Summer League

By Ryan Eugene

Apr 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Kris Jenkins (2) hits the game winning shot with .6 seconds over North Carolina Tar Heels forward Isaiah Hicks (4) in the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Kris Jenkins (2) hits the game winning shot with .6 seconds over North Carolina Tar Heels forward Isaiah Hicks (4) in the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Washington Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld didn’t trade back into the 2017 NBA Draft, but he didn’t stay completely silent, signing a number of undrafted free agents for the team’s summer league minicamp in the early hours of Friday.

The 60 pick NBA Draft seems to last forever, but at some point, fans became aware the Washington Wizards wouldn’t be making a selection. As the clock turned to midnight ET, most fans were probably asleep, but Wizards management remained focused to get a head start on signing undrafted players to summer league deals.

We’ll have more analysis of the players later in the day, but here we’ll take a look at one of the first UDFAs off the board, Villanova’s Kris Jenkins.

Jenkins, a native of Upper Marlboro, MD, who went to Gonzaga College High School, played four years at Villanova. He was projected to go undrafted, but has plenty of big game college experience. He is of course most famous for his game winning shot against UNC as a junior in the 2016 NCAA Championship game.

His senior season saw a decrease in points per game, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage, but he earned his stripes over the course of his career. For his senior season he averaged 13.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2 APG, with shooting statistics of 38.4% on field goals, and 36% on threes.

More from Wiz of Awes

His ESPN Insider draft profile notes his excellent shooting with range, but also notes that he is somewhat heavy for a 6’7″ small forward, and was one-dimensional in his time at Villanova. Jenkins was seen as a likely second round pick after winning the championship his junior year, but obviously lost some stock this past season.

In Washington, Jenkins will have a chance to pair with former Villanova teammate Daniel Ochefu, who himself was an undrafted player who played for the Wizards’ summer league team, before signing to the official roster in September.

As the summer league roster will be comprised of entirely undrafted players, expect Jenkins and others to have plenty of opportunities to shine next month.

Next: Wizards Stand Pat, Don't Trade Back Into NBA Draft

Check out the Wizards’ summer league schedule here.

Home/Wizards News