Washington Wizards sign Kris Jenkins to summer league deal

The Washington Wizards didn’t have a pick in this year’s NBA Draft, but they did sign undrafted free agent and former NCAA Tournament hero Kris Jenkins to a summer league deal.

The Washington Wizards didn’t have a pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Well, they did, but they ended up trading their No. 52 overall pick to the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire 26-year-old shooting guard Tim Frazier.

However, after the draft, the Wizards did sign former Villanova forward and NCAA Tournament hero Kris Jenkins to a summer league deal, according to David Aldridge on Twitter.

If Kris Jenkins’ name sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because he made one of the best and most memorable shots in the history of the NCAA Tournament, a shot that single-handedly propelled Villanova to a 2016 championship win.

Here’s the shot:

During that championship season, Jenkins averaged 13.6 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, and shot 46 percent from the field. During his senior season with Villanova, Jenkins averaged 13.1 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, and shot 38 percent from the field.

Jenkins is a big-name college player mostly because of his fame from the 2016 NCAA Championship game, however that doesn’t mean he’s not a solid basketball player, or one that the Washington Wizards can’t use.

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Jenkins took a big step forward his junior year at Villanova, even before making his legendary shot. His possessions more than doubled, and adjusting for a 40-minute pace, Jenkins averaged 19.8 points per game.

Jenkins has an odd profile for an NBA prospect, he’s a 6’6″, 240-pound combo forward. His game is a bit one-dimensional, as the vast majority of his shots are jump shots and even more come from beyond the arc.

Perhaps Jenkins best talent is his pure shooting ability. His mechanics get a little off when he’s guarded, which leads to him being more prone to be a catch-and-shoot kind of player, but when he’s on (and especially when he’s unguarded), he can really shoot the ball.

On defense, he struggles a slight bit, though he’s difficult to project based on his body size. He has below-average speed, so he can get beat by quicker guards, and he’s not strong enough or long enough to be an effective post defender, however all of these skills can develop.

Next: Wizards Acquire Tim Frazier for No. 52 Overall Pick

We’ll see if Jenkins ends up joining the Washington Wizards out of summer league, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he did, and if he does, he’ll get to re-join Daniel Ochefu, a former teammate of his on that championship Villanova team, who the Wizards signed as a free agent last year.

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