4 Young players the Wizards should develop, 4 to give up on
By Tyler Watts
Develop: Corey Kispert
Kispert was an elite shooter in college, and he translated that to the NBA in year two. The 6’7 wing connected on 42.4 percent from 3-point range and took 5.2 attempts each night. He shot the tenth-best 3-point percentage in the league and made the 52nd most last season.
Corey Kispert has only been a part-time starter in each of his first two years because of his defensive struggles. He produced a negative 1.4 defensive box score plus-minus last season, and FiveThirtyEight’s defensive RAPTOR ranked him 231st of 250 qualified players. The 24-year-old must improve his defense if he wants to play starter’s minutes on a contending team.
Every team in the league wants shooting. Doug McDermott is about to start his tenth NBA season, and Corey Kispert is a better defender. Lights-out shooters always find a place. Kispert needs to prove last season was not a fluke. Expect him to continue shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range, which makes him a valuable role player moving forward.
The 6’7 wing may be best suited for a bench role if his defense does not improve, but having a sharpshooter to turn to is valuable. The Washington Wizards should continue to try to develop him into more than a one-dimensional option.