Wiz of Awes
Fansided

Ranking the 7 worst Wizards starters of the Gilbert Arenas era

By Cem Yolbulan

CLEVELAND - APRIL 30: Caron Butler #3 of the Washington Wizards celebrates what turned out to be the game winning shot with Roger Mason #8, Brendan Haywood #33 and Gilbert Arenas #0 while playing the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 30, 2008 in Cleveland, Ohio. Washington won the game 88-87 but trail in the series 2-3. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND - APRIL 30: Caron Butler #3 of the Washington Wizards celebrates what turned out to be the game winning shot with Roger Mason #8, Brendan Haywood #33 and Gilbert Arenas #0 while playing the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 30, 2008 in Cleveland, Ohio. Washington won the game 88-87 but trail in the series 2-3. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

No. 6: Nick Young

It’s funny that Andray Blatche and Nick Young played for the same team in the same time period because they are basically the same player playing different positions. Just like Blatche, Nick Young also didn’t meet a jump shot he didn’t love.

Nick Young was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the 16th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Before he became a social media meme and a fan favorite around the league, he played in 335 games and started in 102 in 5 seasons for the Wizards.

Young earned every bit of the nickname Swaggy P. He carried himself with incredible swagger on the court, even as a rookie in Washington. He made a name for himself as one of the league’s premier microwave scorers. He was a good on-ball shot creator and a good three-point shooter. He even led the Wizards in scoring in the 2010-11 season with 17.4 points per game. But if Nick Young is your best scorer, you end up winning 23 games that season.

And Young’s problem was never scoring. He had a career in the NBA purely off his tough shot-making. It was everything else that was an issue. He never passed the ball. For a player who took 10 shots a game during his Wizards stint, averaging 1 assist per game is horrendous. He was also never engaged on defense.

That didn’t stop him from being an NBA champion. As a bench player with the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors, Swaggy P won his one an only NBA title before retiring in 2019.

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