The Washington Wizards held their annual Media Day on Monday at the new $65 million Entertainment and Sports Arena in Congress Heights that will serve as the team’s practice facility. As the day unfolded, there was plenty of buzz about the team’s offseason acquisitions that included veteran center Dwight Howard, guard Austin Rivers, and D.C. native, forward Jeff Green. Now that the Wizards have improved their depth and versatility, they consider the Eastern Conference “wide open” without Lebron James. Washington believes they have the talent to exceed expectations as heading into the 2018-19 season.
Here are three takeaways from Wizards media day:
1. Consistency is key
The overall theme amongst Wizards Coach Scott Brooks and many of the players are finding consistency this season. The Wizards were 20-15 last year against teams with records below .500. As center and power forward Jason Smith put it, “we can’t play up to the good teams and down to the bad teams.” The Wizards’ goal is to bring the same energy to every game.
“There’s a reason why the schedule is set for 82 games,” said Brooks. “That tells every team you’ve got to come play each night. I don’t think we did it enough. We did it in spurts. When you play in spurts, you’re going to get beat more nights than you would like. I think the consistency level, we need to get better. It’s pretty self- explanatory that we didn’t do well against teams below .500. That’s definitely an area we want to improve in and be ready for every game. The added bench players can help.”
The new additions to the bench is a plus but the players emphasized that building chemistry with each other will be another key in their ability to be consistent. However, they are confident that with time everything will come together.
2. The Future Looks Optimistic
Media Day always brings a sense of optimism and hope. The Wizards believe they have one of the best rosters in the league and the deepest the team has ever had. The challenge is turning their talent into results. With additional veteran leadership and expectations of improvement from the Wizards core group, this year’s optimism may not be the typical “media day” hype.
“We’re young but we still have our core,” said guard Bradley Beal. “We still managed to keep us together. I love that Ted [Leonsis] didn’t give up on us. We continue to come in every year, we continue to talk, and we dig ourselves holes night in, night out sometimes. I feel like I’m always going to be optimistic. On paper, we look amazing. You obviously have to put the system together, get the chemistry down for the new guys, and work out all the kinks. For the most part, I love where we are. I love our chances against anybody. It’s just a matter of us getting out there and getting it done.”
3. Dwight Howard is a game changer
At the start of Media Day, news broke that offseason acquisition Dwight Howard is experiencing some back soreness heading into training camp this week. Coach Brooks acknowledged that they will consider him day-to-day and don’t want to rush him back to health. Although it’s a minor setback, there is no doubt that the team is excited to have him onboard. Everyone who approached the podium is in agreement that when healthy…Howard is a game changer.
“He changes the game for us because people still forget who Dwight is,” said guard John Wall. “He’s probably not the same person he was in Orlando. But he’s still the guy who averaged 16 and 10 last year, a guy who can run in for it, a guy who can block shots, a guy who can catch lobs. We played against him two years ago in the playoffs so we understand what his presence is defensively. I think that just having a guy when we penetrate to the basket and throw lobs to the rim, he can finish it. It’s a different aspect that I’ve never had. Having a guy like Dwight will make things easier for us but at the same time, we have to challenge him just as much as he’s going to challenge us.”
Last season with the Charlotte Hornets, Howard averaged 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds. The Wizards will be Howard’s fourth team in his NBA career.