Australia’s Xavier Cooks has completed his NBA rookie season on a excessive, recording a maiden double-double in his first begin for the Washington Wizards.
Cooks helped information the Sydney Kings to a second consecutive NBL title final month and solely hours later boarded a flight to Washington, the place he was instantly parachuted into the Wizards’ bench rotation.
The skilful 27-year-old discovered himself restricted to cameos in his first weeks as an NBA participant however when hopes of a play-in berth started to fade and accidents hit, coach Wes Unseld elevated the the Australian’s minutes.
Cooks began for the primary time within the Wizards’ closing sport of the season on Sunday (Monday AEST), filling in at centre in opposition to the Houston Rockets as large males Daniel Gafford and Kristaps Porzingis missed by means of damage and sickness, respectively.
Cooks performed largely as a ahead through the Kings’ championship seasons and at 203cm tall is smaller than the common centre.
But his trademark work-rate beneath the basket helped Cooks compete within the function and he completed with a game-high 14 rebounds.
When he spun in the important thing and despatched a hook shot up halfway by means of the final quarter, Cooks had 10 factors and his first double-double as an NBA participant.
His efforts weren’t sufficient to safe victory for the undermanned Wizards, the lowly Rockets successful 114-109.
“We’ve learned a lot of lessons and now we have to figure out how to take some steps forward,” Unseld mentioned seeking to subsequent season.
“But I’m proud that we were able to go through some things this year and show a ton of resilience.”
Cooks will return to the NBA for the Wizards’ 2023-24 marketing campaign.
With the common season ending imminently, Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels are set to fulfill within the play-in event, the place 4 groups in every convention compete for a complete of 4 play-off spots.
Giddey’s Oklahoma City Thunder will face Daniels’ New Orleans Pelicans within the Western Conference event on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).
Both sides had already certified for the play-in, so Giddey was one among plenty of Thunder stars rested for the 115-100 defeat of the Memphis Grizzlies.
“We stepped up when they called us to just give our guys a rest going into the post-season,” the Thunder’s Tre Mann mentioned after the win.
“We went out there, played hard and had fun.”
Daniels sat out the Pelicans’ 113-108 loss to Minnesota, whom they might face in the event that they beat the Thunder this week.
The marketing campaign is formally over for Australians Cooks, Josh Green and Matisse Thybulle, with Green’s Dallas Mavericks and Thybulle’s Portland Trail Blazers failing to qualify for the post-season.
Aussies Joe Ingles, Jock Landale, Patty Mills, Jack White and Matthew Dellavedova are all possibilities to see post-season motion together with Giddey and Daniels.
Ingles and his Milwaukee Bucks have the very best shot of going deep into the play-offs, having clinched the coveted No.1 seed within the Eastern Conference.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
