It’s not often that NBA teams find themselves dealing with a dearth in height.
With Thomas Bryant and Moritz Wagner out, the Washington Wizards had only one healthy center on the roster – Ian Mahinmi, who they didn’t expect to play at all this season.
Mahinmi, surprisingly, is having his most productive season since he arrived in Washington three years ago, averaging roughly 14 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks per-36 minutes.
If Mahinmi wasn’t a fouling machine – he averages 6.5 fouls per-36 minutes – the Wizards might be able to get away with playing, say, Davis Bertans at the five in spurts, but Mahinmi has been incapable of playing heavy minutes without fouling out.