The play was typical of Jared Jeffries, performing a duty often forgotten. Except, of course, by his teammates. Saturday, he raced downcourt after a steal by Larry Hughes, who anticipated an easy dunk.
Instead, Jeffries caught up and swatted it away.
“He does things that don’t show up on a stat sheet,” Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said. “That messed up Larry’s whole rhythm.”
Now the 6-foot-11 Jeffries is doing things that do show up, like score. In the season’s first five months, Jeffries scored 15 points in a game twice. He scored 15 points in Saturday’s playoff loss to Cleveland and has hit that figure – and more-three times in the last seven games, including a career-high of 20.
“I’ve definitely been more aggressive,” he said.
His scoring, sparked when Caron Butler missed five games with an injury, helped the Wizards’ playoff push. It’s also helping Jeffries’ contract push. He is a restricted free agent following the season. Defending Cleveland star LeBron James could help or hurt his reputation as a versatile and tough defender.
“This is what you want, a chance to play well and give yourself financial security,” said Jeffries, a career 6.1 points per game scorer.
The Wizards retain the right to match any contract if they tender him an offer by June 30.
“We’ve always wanted to keep him,” Wizards General Manager Ernie Grunfeld said. “He’s playing with a lot of energy and confidence. He’s attacking the basket and he’s playing within the framework of the team, like the role player that he is. He doesn’t need the ball to be effective.”
