Photo Courtesy of NBAE/Ned Dishman
Ted Leonsis, one of the most respected owners in professional sports, took the reins of the franchise shortly before the Wizards literally hit the NBA lottery and won the season’s first-round draft pick. The team selected dazzling Kentucky point guard John Wall, who promised to provide some much-needed offensive firepower and leadership.
Leonsis and Wall both worked hard; Leonsis went to great lengths to show fans he cared about their game day experience and Wall showed regular flashes of brilliance despite a nagging foot injury. Even with the leadership effort, the team struggled all year and finished with a disappointing record of 23 wins and 59 losses.
Now, as the strike-shortened, 66-game 2012 season gets underway, Coach Flip Saunders insists the Wizards are ready to take their game up a notch while Leonsis has added a couple of promising – if green – forwards to the roster.
Czech Republic native Jan Vesely, a rangy, athletic, 6-foot-11 rookie and Chris Singleton, a tough, 6-foot-8 inch banger from Florida State should help improve the team’s inside game as Wall continues to fine-tune a potentially explosive backcourt. At media day on the eve of the team’s first pre-season contest against the Philadelphia 76ers, Saunders said the team is making steady progress.
“For the number of young players and new players we have, they’re picking things up pretty quickly,” Saunders said. “There is no question we’re getting a caliber of player that is very competitive and our defense has definitely improved.”
“I don’t think I could expect us to be any further along than where we are,” he added.
Saunders said the short schedule means less rest for players between games. That should benefit the Wizards because of their young roster and fresh legs.
“One thing we’ll have to do based on the 66-game schedule is be deep and use a lot of different people,” Saunders said. “If you have younger players, they have young legs and can recuperate pretty quickly and bounce back. Since we’ve got youth, I’ll go with the youth movement.”
Saunders said he’s been impressed with the fiery Wall’s commitment to staying level-headed on the court and getting strong enough to withstand the rigors of an NBA season.
“His maturity and leadership is improved,” Saunders said. “At this time last year, he’d get down and pout if things didn’t go right. Now he might get down for a play but nothing extended. He’s much stronger than he was and his athleticism is back to where it was. He’s been dunking on people and going to the basket so he’s been a lot more explosive and his jump shot has improved drastically.”
As for Wall, the promising point guard told reporters he’s been working hard on his jump shot, which was shaky at best last season, despite his explosive speed and extreme athleticism.
“When people go into screens now I know when to read and either take a chance and drive or when I’m open I’m going to shoot it,” he said confidently. “If I miss one I will have the confidence to take the next shot and make it.”
Although he’s among the Wizards’ youngest players, Wall – by virtue of his all-world talent and his point guard position – is the team’s undisputed leader. He said his teammates are responding to his enthusiasm and direction.
“They are really understanding and responding to me,” he said. “I have a year under my belt and they see how hard I’m working. They know I’m trying to get those guys better and get myself better at the same time. The guys are really listening to me.”
Despite the optimism, Wall acknowledged that this is likely to be a rebuilding year for the Wizards – not one in which anyone expects them to be serious contenders.
“Right now, we’re not considered a team that will be in the playoffs or in the championship, but down the road we’d like to be that team,” he said. “It takes time to build that kind of program. I just expect to start winning. It’s not any fun if you’re not in the playoffs.”
Wall also said he appreciates the things Leonsis has done off the court to improve the game experience for fans. The team’s new logo and red, white and blue colors are a marked improvement over the old, bland baby blue and taupe color scheme.
“I like the new colors – it looks totally different and more exciting,” Wall said. “It’s good to have red, white and blue in DC. It’s great for us and if you’re rebuilding it’s great to have new colors to start with.”
Off the court, Wall is keeping a seriously low profile even though he could be living the high life as a local celebrity in the nation’s capital.
“It’s [Washington] still fun,” he said. “But I’m just low-key in the house playing video games,” he added, triggering laughs from reporters.
Andray Blatche, the Wizards’ veteran forward-center and rebounder, has shown that he can be a potent scorer, but his game has been erratic at times. Blatche said everyone’s desire to win seems greater this season than in year’s past.
“Guys took some extra time to prepare themselves for this season,” Blatche said. “We’ve got to change this whole atmosphere from losing to winning and the only way that is going to happen is if when you lose you can’t stand the taste in your mouth. It needs to keep you up at night. There is no reason why we shouldn’t come out on fire and get things rolling.”
Roger Mason Jr., a Washington native who played for the Wizards in 2007-2008 before a trade to the San Antonio Spurs, is back on the job this year. Team management seems to like Mason’s mature locker room presence as much as his game, which has suffered a bit in recent seasons as his three-pointer has faltered.
Mason said perhaps the biggest difference in this Wizards team compared to last year’s is the absence of talented but trouble-prone Gilbert Arenas.
“He’s a big personality – obviously – and a great player, but I think now we’ve got a lot of young guys in the locker room who are receptive and willing to listen to the veterans,” Mason said. “We’ve got some good veterans and we want to lead these guys and show them the ropes. I’ve played with (Spurs superstar and future Hall-of-Famer) Tim Duncan and I saw how he prepares himself. Those (young) guys just need to take us serious and I think they are.”
And what about Washington fans? Are they ready to embrace a team that has struggled to assert its own identity?
“With the way the economy has been and with everyone working so hard, I think the city wants to see a team that gives its all and obviously you want the results,” Mason said. “The Capitals have been doing that the last few years. But we’ve got a hard hat theme now. With this group, if we play hard everyday, I think we’ll get the fans.”
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At the outset of last season, the Washington Wizards boasted plenty of promise both in the front office and on the court.
