Coach Eddie Jordan gathered the Wizards at mid-court for his customary end-of-practice message Monday.
“This is the most competitive group we’ve had here in six years,” Jordan told his players. “That means a lot.”
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With the Wizards about to fly to Dallas for tonight’s preseason opener (Comcast), Jordan made it clear that he appreciated their effort after a particularly spirited workout.
Now the question is, will Jordan reward his reserves with more consistent minutes?
By any reasonable measure, Jordan did an outstanding job squeezing 43 wins from his injury-riddled squad last year.
If Jordan were to get low marks in any area, however, it would be his development of young players. Promising reserves Andray Blatche, Nick Young and Dominic McGuire were talented enough to have roles, but never quite found a niche. By season’s end, all were afterthoughts, their minutes going to reliable veterans, such as Darius Songaila and Roger Mason.
With the security of a one-year contract extension, will Jordan take more of a long-range approach this year, building the confidence of his young reserves with consistent minutes?
Jordan dismisses the notion that he will coach differently.
“[The extension] allows me to grow my beard an extra three or four days without someone saying you better straighten up,” joked Jordan. “It has nothing to do with what we do on a daily basis.”
