The Washington Wizards have impressive depth at center when everyone is healthy, which they aren’t right now! 32-year old Marcin Gortat will still be the starting center for the Wizards, and he is very underrated. Gortat played in 75 games (74 starts) for the Wizards last year and he averaged 30.1 minutes, 13.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. He shot 56.7% from the floor and 70.5% from the free throw line last year. 29-year old Ian Mahinmi will be out the next 3-5 weeks as he recovers from left knee surgery. He was the big free agent signing for the Wizards over the summer and he can play either center or power forward. Mahinmi played in 71 games (all starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 25.6 minutes, 9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Mahinmi shot 58.9% from the floor and 58.7% from the free throw line last year for the Pacers. 30-year old Jason Smith is sidelined to start the 2016-17 season due to an oblique injury. Smith played in 76 games (2 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 15.5 minutes, 7.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He shot 48.5% from the floor, 25% from the three point line and 80.6% from the free throw line last year. Smith, like Mahinmi, can handle either playing power forward or center. 22-year old undrafted rookie Daniel Ochefu out of Villanova is also on the Wizards’ roster to start the 2016-17 season.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE WIZARDS’ CENTERS IN 2016-17: B
