Washington Wizards: Breaking Down Point Guard Kirk Hinrich's Game

Over a two-week period, I will be breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of the Washington Wizards players. So far, I have evaluated the games of Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee, Josh Howard, and Gilbert Arenas. Today's breakdown is Kirk Hinrich.

Kirk Hinrich is a 6'3" point guard, weighing in at 190 pounds. He is 29 years of age, and was traded from the Chicago Bulls to the Washington Wizards this off season, in a move to clear up salary cap space to go after the big name free agents.

He was a leader on and off the court for the young Bulls team, along with being a mentor to the Bulls young point guard, Derrick Rose. The Wizards are hoping that he can fill a similar role here in Washington, with the first-round pick, John Wall.

Recently, Flip Saunders named Hinrich and Wall as team captains.

Kirk Hinrich's career averages are 13.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 three-pointers, and 1.2 steals per game. His numbers did go down the last couple of seasons, after the Bulls drafted Derrick Rose.

While point guard is his natural position, Kirk Hinrich can play shooting guard, and has even played some small forward when his coaches have gone to a three-guard set.

Hinrich's strengths include his ability to knock down open shots, handle the ball, run the offense, be a strong floor leader, find the open teammate, and play strong defense against the opponents best guard.

Defense has been a strong point for Hinrich, but he has never been accused of being an offensive juggernaut. He is solid on offense, and solid on defense. Hinrich's main weaknesses are a low shooting percentage, and an inability to get to the free-throw line. His career shooting average is 41.5 percent, with a respectable 37.9 percent three-point average. His free-throw percentage is a strong 80.9 percent, but he only averages 2.6 free-throw attempts per game.

Hinrich will be an important part of Flip Saunders player rotation, and may start some games at the small forward position. Kirk's biggest asset may be his desire to win and be a leader. The Wizards are in need of a couple of intelligent veterans. And if Gilbert Arenas decides he wants to be one also, the younger Wizards could gain a lot of confidence from the two veteran guards.