DeShawn Stevenson knows what the Wizards need. He watched them in the playoffs and saw the same thing everyone else did.
It’s why he’s the newest Wizard.
“They need a guy who can come in and lock down players,” said Stevenson, who signed a two-year deal, with a player option for the second year, Saturday. “They lost a couple [playoff] games by one possession. They need a guy who can make it tough for that person to score.”
That’s what Stevenson has learned to do in his seven-yearcareer.
“Everyone in the league can score,” Stevenson said. “To get big minutes, I had to find something else to do. Every team wants guys who are tough and play defense.”
Washington now has added two defensive players, including power forward Darius Songaila. Another player coming off an injury, swingman Jarvis Hayes, also is considered a strong perimeter defender.
Equally important, in this era of the NBA, all three can score. Stevenson, 25, averaged 11.0 points for Orlando in 82 starts last season. Songaila and Stevenson are considered tough mental players, too.
All of this is why Washington could opt to let Jared Jeffries sign with the Knicks rather than match his offer sheet. Today is the deadline for the decision. The Wizards will hold a press conference this morning, ostensibly to make their plans for Jeffries known.
Financially, the Wizards could keep the versatile 6-foot-11 Jeffries. But they’d also be paying him more (around $6 million per season) to play fewer minutes because of the newcomers. That’s why he might soon be an ex-Wizard.
