What can the Wizards expect from Corey Kispert in his third season?
By Cem Yolbulan
If a rebuild is indeed on its way in Washington, internal development will be a huge factor in determining how bright the Wizards’ future is. The development arc of young players will be an important indicator when deciding who is a key piece and who is expendable going forward. Corey Kispert, who is entering his third year with the team is one of the players to watch for the Wizards this season.
Quality small forwards are in short supply around the league. Especially, the sharpshooter kind like Kispert is difficult to find. Despite only playing for two seasons, Kispert is a known commodity in the NBA. Everyone knows he can shoot, he shot over 40 percent from three in college and shot 42 percent last season with the Wizards. He will always be a decent rotation player, but if he is going to be more than that, he needs to continue improving.
Kispert needs to show more shot creation next season
Kispert has shown incremental improvement last season on the offensive end. He started using his gravity as a shooter to make more plays off the dribble. He has shown more ability as a passer to the rim roller, gotten better at attacking closeouts and making decisions after a few dribbles. He is a much better off-ball mover now and uses his size and mobility well to get open for threes.
The next thing for Kispert offensively is self-creation. He is still a play finisher rather than a creator. Last season, 98 percent of his made threes were assisted, meaning he hasn’t created enough three-pointers for himself. 88 percent of all his made shots were assisted, a very low percentage for a perimeter player. Being able to create and convert off-the-dribble shots is the key difference between a role player and a high-level starter.
Related to Kispert’s inability to create shots for himself, is his lack of mid-range game. In 2022-2023, he shot 74 mid-rangers, averaging only one mid-range shot a game. Considering he shoots a decent percentage – 46% – from mid-range, he could utilize this more as a weapon. Using pump fakes to take a couple of dribbles inside the arc for a high-percentage two-pointer will open up the game more for Kispert.
If he adds more weapons to his arsenal as a scorer, it will help him increase his volume as a three-point shooter as well. Despite being an elite shooter, he was only 75th in the league in terms of 3-pt frequency with just 6.6 threes per 36 minutes last season. The goal for Kispert and the Wizards should be to get this number above 8 threes per 36 minutes like Desmond Bane, Kevin Huerter, and Max Strus.
Kispert will likely continue to be a below-average defensive player
Becoming a high-volume, high-accuracy bomber from three will make Kispert an indispensable starter-level wing since he is most likely not getting there through his defense. Even though he plays with a high level of effort and intelligence on the defensive end, Kispert is still a weak defender for his position. His lack of athleticism and physical tools put a cap on his defensive ceiling, and although he can still improve on that end, it is hard to imagine him as a positive on that end.
Kispert may be entering only his third year in the NBA, but he is already 24 years old. His prime is much sooner than a usual third-year player. So, it is a critical season both for the Wizards to see if he can be their starting small forward, and for Kispert to prove himself worthy of a big contract extension next year. Let’s hope it works out for both sides.
