Washington Wizards Sign Shooter Marcus Thornton
The signing of Marcus Thornton adds another shooter to the Washington Wizards’ arsenal.
The Washington Wizards are certainty in a slump as of late. The injuries to Bradley Beal have been affecting the team this season. He has not been able to stay healthy, which in turn has been affecting the team’s guard play between him and John Wall.
This has coincided with their recent losses of late, including the loss of Tuesday night’s game to the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime. Needless to say, the Wizards were in desperate need of some good news.
The Washington Wizards have decided to sign veteran guard Marcus Thornton, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. The move was made possible by cutting veteran guard Gary Neal, who had been sidelined with a leg injury.
I feel the move was one the team had to make in regards to the way their guards have been contributing this season. Tuesday night Ramon Sessions made a huge contribution off the bench with 21 points to help Wall, who had another double-double. Unfortunately, guards Alan Anderson and Garrett Temple were a combined 3-for-6 for eight points.
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It also didn’t help that Anderson was ejected during the first half. It is obvious that Thornton can help in that department.
Another reason this can be a plus is because Thornton has been on a team that has been counted out in the Houston Rockets and overcome trials and tribulations. This season, they went through the firing of their head coach. Theres also been inner turmoil within the team, including rumors that players didn’t trust one another.
However, they were still able to stand at eighth place in the tough Western Conference playoff standings.
Thornton can instill that type of toughness to a team that looks defeated and seeing their playoff hopes slowly fading away.
“We talk about the same things over and over again,” coach Randy Wittman told Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. “We defend, give them two or three opportunities and it comes down to a tight game.”
With the team two and a half games back of the Chicago Bulls for the eighth spot, it is now do or die time for the team. Regardless if Beal is there or not, the Wizards cannot keep using his injuries as a crutch for why they aren’t playing well.
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Late-game situations must be executed well, free throws must be made and defense must be played. In those regards, Thornton could be just the player the Wizards need.