During the Washington Wizards’ 63 years in the NBA, they never been a franchise known for stardom in the small forward position. Still, they’ve had some great ones here and there.
Some notable small forwards to grace the Wizards’ hardwood are John Williams, Trevor Ariza, and Otto Porter. They have also had legends of the position play the twilight of their careers in D.C. as well such as Paul Pierce.
Coming in at number 5 for the Washington Wizards is Duke legend Jack Marin
Following a great three years at the Duke University, it was no surprise Jack Marin was drafted by the Wizards as the fifth overall pick. However, it took a while for Marin to find his footing in the league as he averaged just nine points and four rebounds during the 1966-67 season.
He finally figured it out as he averaged 13 points and five rebounds the subsequent year. During that campaign, he recorded 18 20-point games, seven of them containing double-figure rebounds.
Marin slightly increased his scoring the following year as he recorded 15 points per game, along with seven rebounds. He was also able to fill up the stat sheet with a total of 17 double-doubles.
Even though he had a good season, he turned in three standout games, two of them in December. At the beginning of the month, he pulled down 19 rebounds during a victory against the Bulls. On Dec. 26, he logged in 33 points and 12 rebounds against the 76ers. He had a similar performance on Mar. 14 when he scored 35 points and grabbed eight rebounds against the Cincinnati Royals.
Marin started to peak during the 1969-70 campaign as he averaged 19 points and six rebounds. In addition to that, it was the year he logged in one of the best games of his career. On Feb. 27, he had 41 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists during a victory against the Atlanta Hawks. He also had eight 30-point games this year.
He kept the trend going to next year as he recorded 18 points and six rebounds per game. His best outing came on the last game of the season. On Mar. 21, he put up 22 points and 18 rebounds during a loss to the 76ers.
After averaging 13 points and 17 points during the last two postseason apperances, Marin had a career moment. During the 1971 playoffs, he averaged a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds as the Wizards made their first Finals appearance. However, his shining time came in the first round against the 76ers as he averaged 20 points and nine rebounds. He made sure the Wizards advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals when he dropped 33 points and 16 rebounds in a Game 7 victory. Ultimately, the Wizards lost to the Bucks in the Finals.
The 1971-72 season was his last one in a Wizards jersey but it was also his best. During that year, he averaged a career-high 22 points and six rebounds. His greatest outing came near the beginning of the year when he scored a career-high 42 points against the Rockets.
On Jun. 23, 1972, Marin was traded to the Rockets for Hayes.