Harden and Paul join the bench! The Rockets 39+13+12 point guard before the Clippers strengthen the gap

LIFT Sports Management's Kevin Bradbury revealed to ESPN that free agent guard Taytai Washington Jr. has reached a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Washington is the first-round draft pick in 2022, about to enter his fourth NBA season after playing 16 games for the Suns in 2024-25.

Tayte - Washington player. He was born in 2001 and is 23 years old this year, 1.91 meters tall and weighs 88KG. He participated in the NBA Draft in 2022 and was selected by the Rockets with the No. 29 pick!

He played 31 games in Houston in his rookie season, two of which were played as a starter, averaging 14 minutes per game, averaging 5.2 shots, 1.9 goals, scored 4.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.1 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 36.3%, a three-point shooting percentage of 23.8%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 55.6%.

Because his performance on both offense and defense did not meet the team's expectations, the Rockets parted ways with him. Taytai Washington then began to wander in the NBA. Last season, he played for the Bucks, playing 11 games, averaging 5.1 minutes per game, scoring 1.3 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists, shooting percentage of 30% and three-point shooting percentage of 33.3%.

He played with the Suns this season. He played 14 games, averaging 2.9 shots per game, hit 0.9 goals, shooting 32.5% from the field and 20% from three-point shooting percentage.

It is said that rookies have been looking at for three years. Why did the Rockets and the Bucks part ways with Taytai Washington for only one season? Why is the newcomer Tae-Washington, who has a certain talent and very young potential, become an NBA homeless at a young age? It is because of the following reasons:

1. Tae-Washington ends with a bad end! The shooting percentage of my career is only 35%, and if I don’t look closely, I think it’s a three-point shooting percentage! It's really bad! Basketball is a round-based game, and every move is very critical. There is only one basketball. If you can't shoot in, you will waste a lot of opportunities! Influence the offense of the entire team. His three-point shooting percentage is only 23.6%. In this small ball era, three-point shooting is a basic operation of players. Not to mention guards, even the center must have long-range shooting skills, otherwise it will affect career development.

As a defender, he should be more proficient in shooting, but Taytai Washington made a very bad three-pointer! His free throw shooting percentage is also very bad, and he is only 55.6% in the rookie season, which is too bad. Not to mention competing with the defenders, he can't compete with O'Neal and Howard, who are notoriously inferior to free throws in NBA history! O'Neal's free throw shooting percentage in the rookie season was 59.2%, and Howard's free throw shooting percentage in the rookie season was 67.1%! If I were the opponent's coach, I would use free throw tactics against Tay Washington, foul him and let him go to the free throw line. So far, Taytai Washington's free throw percentage has only 59.1%.

2. Not strong ability to seize opportunities! There are only so many opportunities, and the time for a game is fixed, and the rookie will have fewer opportunities. If the coach lets you play, you need to seize the opportunity! Cherish every minute and every second on the court, every touch, every shot! For example, Wood seized the opportunity in the Rockets before, and showed his offensive talent very well, and was well-known; for example, Tate also stayed with the Rockets for desperate defense, and was recognized by everyone; for example, Van Vleet broke out in the playoffs and beat himself to Van Jordan, so he became famous and got a big contract! But it is obvious that Taytai Washington didn't seize the opportunity well and played a mess!

3. The positioning is embarrassing! If he lets him play as a point guard, his passing ability is not strong enough in the NBA; if he lets him play as a shooting guard, his shooting is very poor! Let him play as a small forward, his defense and shooting are not good enough.

Low-level league player, Harden and Paul substitute? Waste money

Taitai Washington actually has the ability to score points in the low-level league. On March 22, in the G League, he made 15 of 26, including 4 of 9 three-pointers, scored 39 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists, leading the Suns team to defeat the Pacers team with 117:114.

On March 27, he turned into an all-round fighter in the game against the Mexico City Captain, scoring and rebounding, grabbing the ball with one hand, making 8 of 19 shots in the game, scoring 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists triple-double data.

On April 3, in the G League playoffs, Taytai Washington made 16 of 27 shots, scoring 40 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, leading the team to defeat the Warriors.

In the Western Conference semi-finals of the G League on April 4, he played against the Kings' team, making 16 of 32 shots, scoring 39 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists.

He can beat all sides in the Development League, but in the high-level NBA, he is still a very immature newcomer! Both ends of the offense and defense are still very rough.