Washington Wizards: Kendall Marshall Could Fit As Backup Point Guard

The Washington Wizards are in need of a third point guard and the recently released Kendall Marshall can help fill that void.

The Washington Wizards have a big question mark at the point guard position heading into training camp. There is no debate that John Wall will be the starter, as he is one of the best in the NBA.

But Wall had two surgeries this offseason on his knees, putting his short-term future in doubt.

The Wizards begin training camp next month, with their first preseason game being Oct. 4 against the Miami Heat. The regular season begins shortly after that, as the Wizards get things started for real against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 27.

While Wall said that doctors told him that his recovery is right on track, it is not clear whether or not he will be ready for the regular season. There is a chance that he misses most of, if not all, of training camp.

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Because of that, the Wizards need to be prepared. They could look to add another point guard to the roster before training camp begins according to Ben Standig of CSN Mid-Atlantic.

Currently, the Wizards have Trey Burke, whom they acquired from the Utah Jazz in a trade earlier in the offseason, backing up Wall.

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They also brought over former second-round pick Tomas Satoransky, who can give some minutes at point guard, from Europe.

Burke has failed to live up to expectations as the ninth overall pick in 2013, while the Wizards do not know yet what they have in Satoransky.

He is 6-foot-6, so he could fill a number of roles for the team off the bench; shoe-horning him as the backup point guard would make little sense as it would take away from his versatility.

Because of that, the Wizards could be in the market for another point guard. Casper Ware, who won the MVP award in the Drew League Championship Game, agreed to a contract with the Wizards for training camp.

The undersized Ware has only appeared in nine NBA games, so if he is lucky enough to make the roster it will be nothing more than the third point guard.

With the uncertainty surrounding Wall, the Wizards should be aiming higher for their last point guard spot. One place to look would be with the recently released Kendall Marshall.

Marshall was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Utah Jazz earlier in the week for Tibor Pleiss, two second-round picks and cash. This move was essentially a salary dump for the Jazz, as Pleiss had guarantees in his contract and Marshall didn’t.

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As a result, Marshall was released and is now again looking for work.

Marshall has not yet been able to find a consistent home in the NBA, but there is still hope according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

Several league executives believe there is a home still for Marshall in the NBA as a backup point guard; could it be with the Wizards this season?

Marshall was actually part of the Wizards organization once already in his career. He was traded to the Wizards On Oct. 25, 2013, and released three days later. It has been the story of Marshall’s career, as he has been traded and subsequently released three times.

He has appeared in an NBA game with four different teams in four seasons, and the Wizards could be his fifth.

Marshall would give the Wizards some much-needed insurance in case Wall is unable to play when the regular season begins.

Relying on the players the Wizards currently have in camp would be a poor decision. Burke has proven unable to handle a starting job and Satoransky has never appeared in an NBA game.

Bringing Marshall in for at least training camp cannot hurt. The Wizards have 12 players currently under contract; 17 with Ware and four more from their summer league team being invited to camp.

Working in Marshall’s favor is that Ware is the only point guard invited to camp, and he would be an upgrade over him.

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The health of Wall will determine a lot of the decisions that the Wizards make at point guard. Burke and Satoransky are locked into roster spots, but the need for a third point guard is there. Marshall could easily fill that role while simultaneously pushing Burke for backup minutes.