TyTy Washington drops 38 points in G League Finals

TyTy Washington has made his case for a bigger role with the Houston Rockets next season.

On Thursday night, the former Kentucky Wildcat looked like he was playing well above his competition. Washington exploded for a game-high 38 points for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in Game 2 of the 2023 G League Finals. Unfortunately, it came in a losing effort to the Delaware Blue Coats, led by NBA Dunk Contest winner Mac McClung. The Vipers fell 114-110 in Game 2 after losing in Game 1 on Tuesday 134-120, giving the Blue Coats the sweep and the G League Finals championship.

Washington’s 38 points on Thursday came on 12-25 shooting, including a 5-8 mark from beyond the arc and a 5-6 clip from the free throw line. He also added four rebounds, five assists, and two steals to his stat line in 37 minutes played. In Game 1 on Tuesday, Washington went for an equally impressive 34 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists on 12-29 overall shooting (3-13 3PT) in 42 minutes.

Despite trailing by 16 points heading into the fourth quarter, Washington nearly powered the Vipers to a massive comeback in Game 2, trimming the lead down to as little as four points. 12 of his 38 points came in the final period, but the Blue Coats — led by McClung’s 30 points, four rebounds, and eight assists — were able to hold onto the win down the stretch.

TyTy Washington Jr. is HIM 💰 Back to back 30+ point games! @RGVVipers

Watch the #NBAGLeagueFinals presented by @YouTubeTV on ESPNews! pic.twitter.com/68b9DC6QwE

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) April 7, 2023

Washington wasn’t the only former ‘Cat competing for the G League Finals though. Longtime NBA veteran Willie Cauley-Stein suited up alongside Washington for the Vipers. While he wasn’t nearly as productive as Washington, Cauley-Stein still chipped in four points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals on Thursday. After getting drafted ahead of the 2015-16 season, WCS has been a constant in the NBA but played 13 games in the G League this season as his career begins to dwindle.

But back to Washington, who is clearly too good to be playing at the G League level. The 29th overall pick from the 2022 NBA Draft spent most of his rookie season with the Rockets, checking in for 30 games so far, including two starts. But the franchise smartly wanted him to get in some extra run so he’s not spending most of his time playing bench minutes for a bad Houston team.

Through eight regular-season G League games, Washington averaged 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in 38.4 minutes per game. He performed even better in his five playoff outings, averaging 29.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in 41.2 minutes per contest.

Not too shabby…

Don’t be shocked if Washington is playing a bigger role with the Rockets next season.