Wizards Rookie Hopes to Lead by Example

The Washington Wizards have a first-year player looking to be a voice.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 4, 2024

Nov 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Dalen Terry (25) shoots the ball over Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (8) in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards point guard Bub Carrington is only a rookie, but he doesn't always play like one.

Carrington, 19, started the season in the starting lineup but was relegated to the bench when veteran Malcolm Brogdon returned to action following his recovery from thumb surgery.

The No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft took his benching in stride and has continued to make an impact in his new role off the bench. But in the team's most recent loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Carrington found himself in an expanded role when Brogdon went down with an injury.

Carrington ultimately played in a team-high 36 minutes for the Wizards, tallying a team-high 13 points and seven rebounds. After the game, Carrington spoke about the importance of rebounding as a guard.

“I take a lot of pride in using my size to our team's advantage,” Carrington said postgame. “I think it'll help us a lot if we got a lot more guards rebounding.”

Standing just 6-4, Carrington is often undersized against his opponent, especially as the league adopts longer, leaner guards, but he doesn't use it as a crutch or excuse. Carrington is crashing the glass at every moment possible, and that can be a benefit to the Wizards.

Washington sits 18th in the NBA in rebounding with 51.8 per game, and that's a number that could certainly be improved upon when the Wizards have one of the longest teams in the league as well.

Perhaps Carrington's campaign to make rebounding great again with the guards will help the Wizards break the monotony of this extremely long losing streak that the team is undergoing.

The Wizards are back in action tomorrow night as they take on the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Dec 4, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.