WASHINGTON — After last nights Washington Wizards Vs. Boston Celtics game, one of the first questions asked to current Wizards head coach Brian Keefe was “How is Bub?”
Carrington, in his NBA debut, went down after a dunk attempt in the fourth quarter. He got up after a minute or so and walked off on his own power, with a bit of a limp. After the game, Keefe said that the injury was a mild ankle sprain.
“Just mild,” he said. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”
RECAP OF HIS DEBUT
Carrington’s first two matchups defensively were no easy tasks. The rookie matched up first against Jrue Holiday, and then, Derrick White — two key members of this year’s Team USA Olympic Gold Medal team.
Carrington missed his first two shot attempts on the offensive end, with both coming from beyond the three-point arch. Minutes later, White got the best of him in transition, crossing over and getting an easy bucket at the rim while Carrington was running back to defend. After subbing out for a few minutes, Carrington checked back in around the four-minute mark of the first quarter. Then came a pair of turnovers.
Facing strong defensive pressure from the Celtics, Carrington turned it over on two possessions early on in his second stint. First, Jayson Tatum stepped into the passing lane for a steal off a Carrington pass. Then, White swiped the ball away while Carrington was dribbling. Carrington continued to battle, though, making an impact on the defensive end. He blocked two Celtics’ shot attempts in the first quarter.
As Jordan Poole paced the Wizards with 17 early points, Carrington continued to feel out the world’s best competition. At the conclusion of the first half, Carrington had three points (added a free throw), two blocks, two turnovers, and two fouls.
In the third quarter, Carrington a couple of a mid-range jumpers, and grabbed another rebound. He checked in for his second rotation of the quarter with less than four minutes to go. While he was defending White on the perimeter, White backed down Carrington and drew a foul — the third of the night for Carrington.
Carrington finished the quarter on a strong note, throwing a laser of a pass from the top of the key down to the left block. He found Jonas Valanciunas there for a two-point bucket in the final seconds of the quarter. With the pass, Carrington picked up his first-career assist.
In the final quarter, Carrington checked in with less than eight minutes to go with the Wizards trailing by 28 points. He grabbed a rebound minutes later, and picked up a hockey assist on a Patrick Baldwin Jr. three pointer.
He finished his first NBA game with 25 minutes played, three points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks, three fouls, and two turnovers.