Why Grizz player was grateful for first 89 seconds in NBA
NEW YORK – The crowd had thinned out, and those who remained directed disgruntled mumbles toward the court.
Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Garrett Temple trudged to the bench, their last grasp at a comeback in the Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration game having fallen well short at Fedexforum.
Then, in the seemingly meaningless final 89 seconds of arguably the most deflating loss of the Grizzlies’ season, a dream came true.
“Checking in for your Memphis Grizzlies, Julian Washburn,” the public address announcer said.
“It didn’t feel real, to be honest,” Washburn said.
Nothing particularly memorable happened on the court over the final 1:29 of the team’s
105-85 loss to the Pelicans that day.
Washburn’s first NBA shot attempt and first rebound did not come until nine days later.
But after four years at UTEP and three-and-a-half years of fighting to keep his career alive in various professional leagues, this 1:29 was a long time coming for the 27-year-old Washburn.
“Even though it was only like a minute or so, it felt like I was in a dream,” Washburn said of his NBA debut. “It was something I always dreamed of and something I’ve been working toward my whole life is playing in an NBA game.”
The two weeks since have showed just how real Washburn’s dream has become.
Not only is the Grizzlies’ newest twoway player in the NBA, the 6-foot-8 wing is a needed part of a roster that is in a state of chaos as the Thursday trade deadline approaches.
Washburn logged 16 minutes in a 100-92 loss at Charlotte on Friday night after playing three crucial minutes to close the third quarter in a 99-97 loss at Minnesota on Wednesday.
Entering Sunday’s game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Washburn had yet to score his first NBA point. But coach J.B. Bickerstaff likes Washburn’s defensive versatility and spot shooting ability.
He was the 2014-15 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year at UTEP.
Since college, Washburn has refined his 3-point shot while playing in the Gleague and overseas. He was shooting 37 percent from 3-point range in 23 games with the Austin Spurs this season before he got the call from the Grizzlies last month.
His first NBA shot attempt came Wednesday at Minnesota, an open look in the corner with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter.
“I feel like for some reason when you first check in the game, the ball always finds you,” Washburn said. “It was a great look.”
The shot did not fall, but the miss did not shake Washburn’s confidence.
“I was a little nervous,” he said. “I’m not going to lie. It was my first NBA shot and in a close game. So I was nervous.”
Friday night’s 16 minutes gave Washburn the chance to find some comfort on the court. With Kyle Anderson, Temple, Conley, Jackson Jr., Omri Casspi and Dillon Brooks all out with injury and Chandler Parsons not with the team, Bickerstaff had little choice but to give Washburn extended minutes.
He did not score and grabbed four rebounds while accepting challenging defensive assignments against Charlotte’s quick backcourt and wing players.
It was an opportunity made even more special because of the fact that it came in front of his brothers and father, Chris Washburn, who is originally from Hickory, N.C.
Chris Washburn was the third overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft, though he played in just 72 NBA games.
Julian said he does not talk with his father much about finally making the NBA.
“It’s something I’m really learning on my own,” Julian said. “I’m old enough now that I kind of know about basketball.”
And so far, the experience is living up to the hype.
“Everybody is so cool, even from the vets like Marc Gasol, Mike Conley,” Julian Washburn said. “Those guys are super cool. I’m a guy who this is my first time in the NBA and I feel like they’ve really accepted me as a player.”
Julian Washburn said the Grizzlies’ veteran players have been helping him learn offensive plays and defensive strategies.
Those interactions are especially valuable for Washburn. Two-way players are restricted to a limited number of days with their NBA team and are required to spend the rest of their time in the G-league.
So as the Grizzlies practiced Thursday at North Central University in Minneapolis before leaving for Charlotte, Washburn stayed back at the team hotel and got a little extra sleep to avoid using one of his limited NBA days for something other than a game.
It’s just one wrinkle in an NBA experience that Washburn said is “everything I’d imagined it would be.”
“It’s crazy,” he said. “I guess we have our own jet? We don’t have to go through security or anything at the airport, which is very convenient. All the hotels are five-star hotels. All the meals you get, it’s like day and night between the G-league and the NBA. It’s something I wish that everybody could experience at least for a week because it’s great.”
And it’s a reminder that, even the worst 89 seconds of a team’s season can be among the best 89 seconds of a player’s life.
“I think we forget a lot that these 6foot-8, 220-pound studs are human beings, too, and their stories do have emotion behind them,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s fun to be a part of helping people achieve their dreams.”
Reach Grizzlies beat writer David Cobb at david.cobb@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Davidwcobb.