With John Wall out for the season and Bradley Beal once again assuming the role of the Washington Wizards’ No. 1 scoring option, an unlikely teammate is making a case to be Beal’s top complement on offense: Jeff Green.
As the Wizards have won five of their last seven games, the 32-year-old forward with the nickname “Uncle Jeff” has been one of the most important players to step up in that span.
Green posted 24 points and 6-for-9 shooting from the 3-point arc, both season highs, in the Wizards’ 95-91 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday.
“He had his 3 game going tonight,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks told reporters Friday, according to the Associated Press. “Jeff gave us some opportunities with shooting the 3s, spacing the floor. And if you don’t guard him, he’s great with the ball.”
Green also made the go-ahead basket in the final minute that delivered the Wizards the win.
In the last 13 games since Wall has been out, Green has scored 13.8 points per game, fourth on the team behind Beal, Otto Porter Jr. and Trevor Ariza. His 3-point percentage in that span (38.2 percent) is comparable to Beal’s (38.9), even though Green has not had a reputation as a solid 3-point shooter for years.
The Wizards visit the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night at 7 p.m. The Spurs are middle-of-the-road in 3-point defense — ranked 15th in the league — so we’ll see if “Uncle Jeff” can keep his hot hand going.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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