Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks has announced that Trevor Ariza will start in his debut with the team on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Hawks.
Trevor Ariza is starting tonight vs the #Hawks, Scott Brooks announces
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) December 18, 2018
The Wizards acquired Ariza over the weekend, sending forward Kelly Oubre Jr. and guard Austin Rivers to the Phoenix Suns in the deal. The trade was made official on Monday.
“We got to move forward,” Bradley Beal told ESPN when asked about the trade. “… It was good to see [Oubre's] development, and he's like my little brother. From that aspect, I'm a little sad about it, hurt by it. But it is a business at the end of the day.”
Though Beal was sad to see Oubre go, he says he's excited to have Ariza on the team.
“I get my O.G. back — he's my vet — in Trevor Ariza,” Beal said. “I embrace that, that's a plus. It's [the trade] kind of a two-fold situation. Trev has a spark about himself. He has a true desire to win. He doesn't care what it looks like — he is going to go out there and do it.
“He always accepts the challenge defensively and his leadership qualities and his [ability to be vocal], everything he's about, his morals on and off the floor, [is] everything that we need. He's a great character guy, perfect fit.”
According to Buckner, Ariza is with the Wizards in Atlanta and was able to participate in this morning's shootaround routine.
With Otto Porter sidelined due to a grade II strain of the right Vastus medialis (knee), Ariza will likely see quite a bit of action in his debut.
In his 26 appearances with the Suns this season (all starts), Ariza racked up averages of 9.9 points on 37.9 percent shooting from the field (36.0 percent from beyond the arc), 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steal in 34.0 minutes per outing.
Tuesday night's Wizards-Hawks game is scheduled to tip inside State Farm Arena at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Follow Us
Subscribe