Washington Wizards: 3 Players to watch in the 2022 NBA 2K23 Summer League

Summer League Wizards to Watch: No. 2 – Vernon Carey Jr.

The 3rd year big man out of Duke gets his chance to show if he’s NBA-ready this summer. Last season, the Washington Wizards acquired forward/center Vernon Carey Jr. and guard Ish Smith from the Charlotte Hornets, in exchange for center Montrezl Harrell. Even though Ish was considered the centerpiece of the trade, Carey Jr. shouldn’t be overlooked.

He has a ton of untapped potential but just needs an opportunity to shine. So far in his career, Carey Jr. has spent most of his time down in the G-League. He only touched the floor in 3 blowout games for the Wizards, for a grand total of 27 minutes. The Summer League is the perfect stage to showcase his growth as a player. He just needs to take advantage of the moment and play his brand of basketball, which is tough and relentless.

Luckily for Carey Jr., the Wizards are fairly thin at the center position going into next season. Thomas Bryant is no longer with the team after signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency. That means only Kristaps Porzingis and Daniel Gafford are ahead of him on the depth chart. Reports came out Friday saying that Taj Gibson plans on signing with Washington after being waived by the New York Knicks, but it’s not official yet.

Regardless, there’s nothing wrong with a little more competition. Carey Jr. just has to come out and play his butt off this Summer. If he can gain the coach’s trust and show that he’s improved, then there’s a chance he gets some backup center minutes next season. Wizards president and general manager Tommy Sheppard said it best after they traded for him, “Vernon is a talented young player who can build on his brief but promising NBA experience while continuing to develop within our system.”