Duane Washington Jr – Potential there despite erratic closing minutes

The Phoenix Suns snatched Duane Washington Jr. from the Indiana Pacers during the offseason, signing the combo guard to a two-way deal

Monday’s game against the Denver Nuggets provided the first major opportunity for Washington to shine in extended minutes, aided in the absence of Cameron Payne through injury. It’s fair to say the extra opportunities garnered mixed results as the Suns suffered a 107-105 loss.

Ill-advised final moments from Duane Washington Jr. arguably cost the Phoenix Suns a preseason win over the Denver Nuggets.

The overarching reflection is the final minute where Washington tried to single-handedly and unwisely propel Suns to victory. With the Suns up two with just under a minute remaining, his wild layup attempt at the rim floated over the top of the backboard.

After Ish Smith tied the game at 105, Washington sought to execute a two-for-one, only for his baseline jumper to miss badly. Smith went and repeated the dose before Washington’s attempted game-winning three clanked off rim. It was two small guards trying to go back-and-forth, yet only one of them had the skill and poise to pull off the clutch plays.

It was a disappointing individual close to an otherwise promising display. The 22-year-old got decent run in the second quarter and harnessed his aggression in a positive light; He had five points, two assists and even took a charge on the defensive end.

He had his moments in the fourth too, a second three giving Phoenix a 105-104 lead with 1:30 to play. Before that he was involved in perhaps the highlight play of the night, a transition alley-oop pass that was thundered home by Jock Landale.

It may have been a hard watch in the end, but it’s easy to forget that Washington simply won’t be in those positions during the regular season. In fact, the more poignant question is whether the three selfish plays sours his on-court chemistry with teammates? It’s most certainly affected his chances of playing a rotational role, with Payne expected to be fit for the regular season opener on October 19.

But if Washington could utilize his skills in a more controlled fashion like we saw in the second-quarter, then there’s potential there to develop into a valuable player. He’s clearly a good three-point shooter, having knocked down 37.7% from beyond the arc last season. He also made some nifty passes and displayed overall playmaking skills against the Nuggets, even if those vanished completely over the final moments.

The final minute will be hard to reconcile, particularly when it was the first major impression fans have of him in a Suns uniform. However, tasking him as a primary offensive initiator was always going to be a challenge, and perhaps it’s unfair to evaluate Washington until we see him alongside Payne, Chris Paul and/or Devin Booker.