Ryan Hollins Signed By Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards decided to sign 10-year veteran Ryan Hollins in an effort to shore up their frontcourt.

Maybe it will be Ryan Hollins that turns the Washington Wizards‘ season around.

Kidding, of course, but the struggling Wizards did ink the 31-year-old Hollins to a non-guaranteed minimum deal late Sunday night in an attempt to shore up their frontcourt rotation. The news was first reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Shams Charania:

Hollins, a 10th-year man who has played for eight teams, was cut from the Memphis Grizzlies training camp before the season started, and has remained unsigned to this point. Though never a very productive offensive player, Hollins is a legitimate 7-footer with a 9-foot-2 standing reach.

Even at 31, he’s still quite an athlete, and moves quickly for someone of his size, which makes him a useful defensive player and a heck of a shot-blocker.

The Wizards, who are 23rd in the league in defensive efficiency, have allowed 105.1 points per game, a number good for 24th-worst in the league, and significantly worse than last year’s mark (97.8 opponent points per game, 10th-best in the NBA). At 6-8, effectively out of the playoff picture in the East, the Wizards need to isolate the problem and fix it … fast.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

Washington is tied for 25th in blocks per game, and it’s easy to see why: for all of the frontcourt depth that the Wizards have (Jared Dudley, Nene Hilario, Marcin Gortat, Drew Gooden, Kris Humphries, DeJuan Blair), they don’t feature any true shot blockers. John Wall and Marcin Gortat, both averaging 1.0 swat per game, lead the team in that category.

Hollins, who has a career average of 0.5 blocks in only 11.8 minutes per game, provides an immediate shot-blocking presence for the Wizards.

Backup center Drew Gooden is dealing with a calf injury at the moment, and the 31-year-old Marcin Gortat can’t be expected to play the whole game. Hollins will likely be receiving a good deal of minutes as long as Gooden is out.

To clear a roster spot for Hollins, the Wizards elected to waive Martell Webster, a 29-year-old swingman who didn’t appear in a single game for Washington this year after dealing with a hip injury. Webster underwent season-ending surgery on his hip two weeks ago.

Hollins, by simply being active, is an upgrade over Webster, but his value doesn’t end there. Aside from the aforementioned defense that is a staple for Hollins, he is an excellent transition player, which should fair well for the Wizards, who play at the eighth-fastest pace in the league (102.3 possessions per game).

With an excellent passing point guard in John Wall, Hollins can be expected to get plenty of open looks. During the Grizzlies’ preseason, Hollins shot 83.3 percent from the field while averaging 5.3 points per game. While he doesn’t create his own shot, Hollins won’t spend the game looking for it; he’ll shoot (or dunk) when he’s open, and he’ll do it efficiently.

This isn’t going to be one of the biggest moves of the NBA season by any means, but the Wizards are taking steps to improve, which is an encouraging sign for fans during an otherwise-disappointing season. There’s plenty of basketball left to play, though, and the Washington Wizards haven’t given up quite yet.

Next: NBA Future Power Rankings: Every Team's Spot In 5 Years

Stay tuned.