Washington Wizards: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Ben Yokoyama
Sign Tarik Phillip
Tarik Phillip, the second end-of-season signing, played last season for the Memphis Hustle of the G League and showed promise in his two seasons since coming out of college.
Though he has never played in an NBA game, his 2018-19 season for the Hustle impressed the Washington Wizards enough for them to offer him a non-guaranteed contract. He averaged 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 29.7 minutes per game.
Coming from West Virginia University’s high-octane defense, Phillip is known for his quick, energetic defense. Last season he proved himself on both ends of the floor by shooting 40.1 percent from behind the arc.
His fit in this Wizards team will be interesting to find out. He could either be a go-to player for the G League team or he could see minimal playing time off the bench as a 3-and-D guard who would likely only see five or so minutes per game.
Phillip saw a few minutes in the Summer League and played well. He never wowed anybody, but he shot the ball well, moved it on offense and did his thing on the defensive end.
He is a good type of player to put on the bench for a season because he will have low expectations and is defensive-minded. Keeping in mind the goals for the offseason and the fact that Phillip is being paid very little, this is a low risk, low reward move.
Overall, this goal of this signing seems to be to fill a roster spot for the upcoming season. Phillip’s impact on the NBA team will be minimal and he certainly is not a building block for the future.