Undrafted sensation Julian Reese delivers historic performances, forcing the Wizards to reconsider their future plans with his undeniable heart and hustle.
Juju Reese has become a nice story toward the end of a tumultuous final year of bottoming out for the Washington Wizards.
On February 28th, Reese signed a two-way contract with Washington. For a player who went undrafted out of Maryland in 2025, and hadn't got a chance to play an NBA game yet, it appeared Reese was finally going to get his chance.
Not even a month later, he's put together multiple rare performances.
On Wednesday, Reese posed 26 points and 17 rebounds in Washington's win over the Utah Jazz. He eclipsed his double-double mark in the first half, making him one of only two rookies in franchise history to post a double-double in before halftime, the Wizards announced.
The other Wizard to do it? John Wall.
"My rebounding has a lot to do with heart," Reese said. "I'm not the tallest guy out there; I just try to find the angle and go get it."
Reese's physical prowess allowed Washington to overmatch the undermanned Jazz, and get it back in the win column for the first time in over a month.
Reese has become a face that dominated the Jazz himself in their two matchups. He made his NBA debut against the Jazz -- a night where he posted a historic 18 points and 20 rebounds. It was the most rebounds by a Wizards rookie since Tom Gugliotta grabbed 20 in January, 1993.
Reese, who is on a two-way deal, has only played in six contests for the Wizards, but they've been moving performances. Playing in a room of bigs including Alex Sarr, Anthony Davis, Tristan Vukcevic, and whatever happens this offseason, Reese's spot is all but guaranteed. Whatever the decision on Reese becomes in the future, it won't be an easy one.
"He kind of fits in seamlessly," Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said. "You see what he does with the rebounding...he's a pretty good anchor defensively for learning our stuff on the fly. He's been productive in every game he's played."
The 22-year-old averages 12 points, 10.7 rebounds and shoots 65% from the field. His 26-point output last night featured an efficient night in the paint for Reese, as he dropped in 12 of his 16 attempts.
Reese hustles for rebounds, which is evident in his offensive rebounding totals. He's grabbed 24 total in 6 games, and added another five last night.
"That's all him. He's probably had that his whole life; we can't take credit for that," Keefe said.
Reese is making the most of his opportunities at this point in the season. Regardless of what his future holds in Washington, he's put some nice things on tape. Despite being slightly shorter than the average center in the league a 6'9, he has an ability that can't be taught and that's effort.
"I feel like when you put a lot of effort into something, good things come out," Reese said.