Washington Wizards center Ian Mahinmi is best known by fans as a punchline because of a four-year, $64 million contract he signed before the 2016-17 NBA season. Instead of becoming a decent starting center, Mahinmi’s time in Washington was set back by injuries or his high foul rate.
This season, Mahinmi is averaging 7.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, stepping up when Thomas Bryant was out due to injury to start the season. But he hasn’t stepped on the court since Feb. 27 and the Wizards made a conscious decision to NOT play him for the rest of the season before the coronavirus suspended play for over four months.