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Maryland Basketball: Wizards could be perfect situation for Melo Trimble

By Chris Bengel

Mar 10, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) shoots the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats in the second half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) shoots the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats in the second half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Melo Trimble is projected to be picked in the second round of next month’s NBA Draft if he’s selected.

With Trimble drawing interest from several NBA teams, the hometown Washington Wizards could be the perfect situation for the Maryland guard.

InsideMDSports reported last week that the Wizards could use their second round pick to scoop up Trimble. The former Bishop O’Connell (Va.) star played three seasons in College Park before deciding to forgo his final year of eligibility.

Trimble would likely see time in the D-League depending on what NBA team he ends up with. He’s already worked out for the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls during the draft process.

The Wizards owns the No. 52 pick in the draft, which they could use on Trimble if he’s still on the board.

While Trimble has areas of his game that need improvement, he could be a great option for Washington. Even more important, he could take a little bit of the pressure off of All-Star guard John Wall.

During the Wizards’ playoff run this postseason, it was clear that the bench was an area that needed work. Trey Burke and Brandon Jennings didn’t produce a whole lot when the team needed them to help knock off the Boston Celtics.

Jennings played in all 13 postseason games and only averaged 2.8 points while Burke appeared in just three contests and played just 1.3 minutes-per-game. Needless to say, that wasn’t what the Wizards had in mind when they brought in the two veteran guards.

Trimble could slide right into that backup point guard spot in Washington.

The former Terrapin wouldn’t be expected to do a ton, but it’s likely that he can score the basketball at a much higher clip. Trimble is a proven ball-handler while also being able to score off the ball when the situation allows for it.

With that being said, Trimble could also play alongside Wall at times and relieve Bradley Beal. Trimble had to run point during his first two years at Maryland because the team didn’t possess another gifted ball-handler.

As a junior, freshman Anthony Cowan stepped right into the role as the team’s primary floor general. In doing so, Trimble enjoyed his most productive offensive season at the collegiate level as he averaged 16.8 points.

Trimble has the ability to be a very capable scoring guard in the NBA someday. His score-first mentality served him well during his junior campaign and he could’ve likely replicated that success in all three years if he had a talented point guard to play alongside him.

Next: Maryland Lacrosse: Former Terp Connor Cannizzaro awaits in semifinals

Playing locally with the Wizards could be the perfect opportunity for Trimble. It’s definitely an interesting situation that the entire DMV area will be monitoring on draft night.