The secret behind Bub Carrington’s 30-point breakout game vs. Pistons

Story by

Story by
The secret behind Bub Carrington’s 30-point breakout game vs. Pistons

Joshua Valdez, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Thu, Mar 19, 2026 ·

6 min read

About Our Ads

The secret behind Bub Carrington's 30-point breakout game vs. Pistons appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington Wizards/Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger said on Jan. 22 that the organization will evaluate which young players it will keep long-term over the coming months, and second-year guard Bub Carrington showed why he should stick around on Tuesday. The 20-year-old tallied a season-high 30 points (12-16 FG, 6-8 3-point) with four rebounds, two assists, and no turnovers over 37 minutes in Washington's 130-117 home loss to the Detroit Pistons .

Veteran forward Justin Champagnie told ClutchPoints postgame how Carrington has grown as a player since last season.

"I think Bub is trying to learn his spots more. Starting to figure out when to shoot, when not to shoot," the 24-year-old said. "When to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive. When to move the ball, which passes to make. He's been diligent with the film work. I watch him do film before every game. I feel like in those aspects he's been growing. Gotta remember Bub's still young, like 21 years old…Super proud of the growth he's made this year."

Carrington won't turn 21 until July, but the rest of Champagnie's comment tracks. The former Pittsburgh Panther is shooting 56.7% from the field (51.7% 3-point) with a 2.56 assist-to-turnover ratio over 25.9 minutes per game in March, which is a night-and-day difference from the rest of his season. For example, he shot just 36.4% (28.3% 3-point) with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio in February and 38.7% (34.6% 3-point) with a 1.76 ratio in January.

Carrington's season-long numbers don't stand out besides his 39.4% clip from deep, which leads 2024 draftees among those with at least as many average attempts (4.9). The Baltimore native's average three-point attempts also rank fifth in the class.

On the other hand, Carrington's 14.1 turnover ratio is the third-highest (minimum 20 minutes per game) and his -14.2 net rating is dead last, per NBA Advanced Stats. Luckily, Champagnie advised him on how to deal with adversity.

"Stay even-keeled…A lot of guys go through that second-year slump…When shots aren't falling and things aren't going your way, what else can you do out there to make an impact and be the player we need you to be?" he said when asked what advice he's given Carrington. "I think he's done a great job so far this year at doing that, looking forward to seeing him continue."

Spreading the ball around while limiting turnovers is one way Carrington can help the squad when he's not scoring. For example, the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder had eight dimes against just one turnover in Saturday's 111-100 loss to the Boston Celtics . He only scored two points (1-2 FG) over 22 minutes, but he still provided value.

Tuesday was a different story. Carrington looked as confident as ever, hitting catch-and-shoot threes along with fadeaway midranges and contested layups like the one below.

Carrington could stand to hit more contested layups, as he's tied for 162nd among NBA guards with 0.5 paint touches per game as of Wednesday. If he gets to the rim more, he will command more attention from defenses and open up space for his teammates, similar to fellow Wizard Trae Young .

Getting to Young's level anytime soon isn't realistic, but building on Tuesday's outing and showing potential in that regard the rest of the season is.

Bub Carrington must prove worth as role player

It's no secret that Washington's young core will be in a different situation next year and beyond. This season's acquisitions of Young and star big man Anthony Davis signal an intent to be in the Eastern Conference playoff picture for the 2026-27 campaign, which differs from how things have gone recently.

The organization has tanked each year since Winger and general manager Will Dawkins took over in 2023, which helped it land second-year big man Alex Sarr and rookie guard Tre Johnson as top-six picks in the draft. If the season ended on Wednesday, it would clinch another top-six selection in a draft with superstar prospects AJ Dybantsa (BYU), Cameron Boozer (Duke), and Darryn Peterson (Kansas).

That strategy puts player development over winning, allowing the young core to play through mistakes without the pressure of immediate results. But next year, minutes will be harder to come by for players who don't help the team win.

There's no guarantee of how the roster will look next year, but Carrington can make his case as a long-term role player if he blends performances like the Pistons and Celtics games for the rest of this season. Whether the team needs him to be a scorer or facilitator on certain nights, it will be harder to sit him if he consistently shows he can execute either task.

Head coach Brian Keefe explained that Carrington is learning what each game "needs for him to do" on Tuesday.

"I think Bub's had a good year. He's really commanded our second unit for a lot of this year when our second unit was very positive for a long time," he said. "He's learned how to control the game offensively. I like his physicality defensively, he's gotten more disruptions as the season has gone along. And the shooting has been there."

"Keep growing, and we're gonna put our guys in positions to learn and grow," he continued. "Terrific night tonight, he played a little bit off the ball. Sometimes he's gonna have the ball more, he was a little off it tonight. He was aggressive looking for his shot, and that's what we needed him to do tonight. He's learning what the game needs for him to do. Some nights are different. Tonight, he was aggressive with his shot, and that was helpful for us."

Up next for Washington is another home date with Detroit on Thursday before hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: