Wizards' Corey Kispert to make regular-season debut Friday

Second-year wing Corey Kispert is set to make his 2022-23 regular-season debut for the Wizards on Friday against Brooklyn, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. told reporters, via Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Kispert suffered a left ankle sprain when he stepped on an opponent’s foot during a preseason contest against Golden State in Japan early last month. He was expected to miss four to six weeks, so he’s on right on track with the early portion of that timeline.

Unseld said last week that the 23-year-old was “really close” to making his return to action after being a full participant in practice.

Viewed as one of the best shooters in the 2021 draft class, Kispert was selected 15th overall a year ago and appeared in 77 games as a rookie, averaging 8.2 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 23.4 MPG. He got off to a slow start, making just 28.6% of his three-point attempts through 35 games, but heated up in the second half, knocking down 37.6% of his tries in his final 42 games.

It seems likely that Kispert will be able to find a rotation spot right away, as reserve guard Delon Wright is currently sidelined with a hamstring strain and the team can certainly use Kispert’s shooting. The Wizards are now 4-4 after defeating the Sixers on Wednesday evening.