Name: Wayne Ellington
Height/weight (per Basketball-Reference.com): 6-4, 200 pounds
Career stats: 377 G, .416 FG%/.382 3FG%/.847 FT%, 7.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 104 offensive rating, 112 defensive rating
2014-15 stats: 65 G, 25.8 MPG, .412 FG%/.370 3FG%/.813 FT%, 10.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 103 o-rating, 114 d-rating
How he was acquired: Signed as a free agent by the Nets on July 10th, 2015
2014-15 season recap: After a season spent with the Mavericks — and an offseason that saw him get traded to both the Knicks and Kings without appearing a game for either — the former North Carolina star, and 2009 National Champion, signed with the lowly Lakers, with whom he was actually a big part of the rotation. He averaged double digit points for the first time in his career — albeit on defensively challenged and uptempo Los Angeles — and started 36 games at shooting guard but saw his shooting numbers dip from years prior.
Expected role: Ellington isn’t particularly tall or quick, so he probably can only suit up at shooting guard for the Nets, and will be in a dog fight for minutes — as has been noted with the other reserve backcourt players I’ve already written about — but has an advantage in terms of his NBA experience and three-point shooting ability. Ellington’s career 38.2 percent mark from beyond the arc may not look promising, but it’s better than many of Brooklyn’s other options.
Best-case scenario: At this point in his career, Ellington is a known quantity so the Nets are fairly certain of what he’s going to bring to the table. Brooklyn just needs him to slash something like .430/.380/.800 in order for him to be a valuable addition, since he’s not going to help out much defensively.
Worst-case scenario: The only way Ellington can underperform his minimal expectations with the Nets is if he just doesn’t make his shots. If he’s not a threat to score from the perimeter, there’s almost no reason for him to be on the floor.
General thoughts: Wayne Ellington will never be someone an opposing team has to gameplan for, or divert significant defensive resources to. But, he can be a useful scorer off the bench and is a relatively dependable veteran who even has some playoff experience.
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