Meet New Washington Wizard: Jared Dudley

2014 – 2015 stats: 7.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 38% 3PT

After a relatively slow start to the NBA free agency period, the Washington Wizards have made a few quality pickups.

The Wizards have signed veteran sharpshooter Gary Neal and are in the hunt for former All-Star big man David West. However, the key pick up might end up being Jared Dudley.

The former Milwaukee Bucks forward was acquired in a trade where the Wizards only gave up a protected second round pick. Every year, for as much as us Wizards fans are left questioning Ernie Grunfeld’s questionable draft decisions, he is becoming known for working the free agency market to perfection.

The Jared Dudley signing should help ease the hurt of losing Paul Pierce somewhat from the lineup. Dudley, whose game is sort of a Pierce-lite type game, brings a lot of the same intangibles to the team as Pierce did. His ability to hit the three and to be able to play the four spot is the main reason the Wizards brought him on board.

While Dudley’s numbers aren’t spectacular, a lot of his value will be how he can continue to mentor the young guns in the lineup while being dangerous from the corner three point line — a Wizards staple.

Jared Dudley will likely become a fan favorite in the Verizon with his frequent ticket giveaways (he recently offered any Wizards fan two tickets to a game if they could photo shop a Wizards jersey on a pic of himself because he needed a new Twitter profile picture) and with the media due to his frank and honest viewpoints that sometimes get him in trouble.

Can't believe Jared Dudley didn't pick my photoshop for his new avatar… pic.twitter.com/VMMgxDwSZM — Danny (@recordsANDradio) July 3, 2015

With Otto Porter still learning how to become a star and starter in the NBA, perhaps Dudley’s key role will be to show prized draft pick Kelly Oubre the ropes on playing the forward position in the NBA and what to look for coming off of the bench.

The Milwaukee Bucks went from winning a league worst 15 games in the 2013 – 2014 season to 41 wins and a playoff appearance in the 2014 – 2015 season. Jared Dudley’s veteran influence was one of the big reasons for the cultural turnaround in Milwaukee.

With his steady three point shooting that defenses had to honor, he was able to stretch the floor out for the Bucks. It’s no secret that the Wizards often struggled when the second unit came into the game last season and a big part of that was the lack of shooters. Dudley (and now Neal) should help with that.

While you can never really gauge how much you will miss a first ballot Hall of Famer and all of the big shots, swagger and experience that he brings, the Wizards shouldn’t lose any championship momentum with all of the new pickups.