Apart from when he’s under the weather – and sometimes not even then – it’s been difficult to stop the emergence of Wizards rookie forward Trevor Booker, whose energy and incredible hops have been one of the few bright spots for Washington as it lumbers into the stretch run of an underwhelming season.
Wizards head coach Flip Saunders said the light went on for Booker about two months ago when the idea was raised of sending him down to the NBA Developmental League if he didn’t start playing to his potential.
“I’m proud of him, happy, extremely excited about where he’s been,” said Saunders. “When he came out of the draft, we thought he was going to be a guy who could fit into what we’d like and a guy that would play hard, would always bring something to the game, as all rookies, it’s tough at the beginning, we had some guys that were here, and as he got opportunities, early in the year, he didn’t always take advantage of them, all of the time. He didn’t always play at the level that you wanted him to play.
“I sat down with Book and I said, ‘Your greatest strength is that you play hard. If you’re not going to play hard, we’re going to send you up to North Dakota, so you can get some time up there.’ I said, ‘Because I know what you do, if you play hard, you can be a very effective player in this league.’ From that time forward, he’s played hard every time. That’s his greatest strength, and I think over the past four weeks, he’s been one of the top rookies in the league, how he’s played.”
Asked if he was inspired by the coach’s pep talk/threat, Booker said, “No.”
“I still did my same routine,” said the rookie. “I still got extra shots up. Nothing changed really. I just wanted an opportunity to get on the court. No, because I knew what I do once I got on the court. I just needed an opportunity.”
Booker, who is pretty much the exact opposite of talkative, also hasn’t changed his own idea of his job description.
“I just try to give a lot of energy and that rebounding,” he said. “We definitely needed that rebounding, so I think the last few games, I’ve done a really good job rebounding, but I think I could do better. Sometimes, I don’t always go in for offensive rebounds, so maybe just go in for offensive rebounds harder.”
With Rashard Lewis (knee) and Andray Blatche (shoulder) both expected to be out when the Los Angeles Clippers visit Washington tomorrow night, Booker knows he’ll get a chance to test his impressive athleticism against Blake Griffin, who is setting the standard in that department.
“He’s huge body wise and he can jump so high,” said Booker. “You rarely see both of those together, and he’s skilled.”
“Blake, he’s a freak athlete,” said Saunders. “Book plays like him, as far as playing hard and playing extremely aggressive, but a guy like Blake, at his size, 6-10 ½, running and as explosive as he is, that’s why he was an all-star as a rookie. He’s going to be one of the elite players in this league for a long time, as long as he can stay healthy.
“He’s phenomenal in the open floor. He gets out and he runs so well, he’s a great finisher. You can’t turn the ball over so that he has those type of opportunities. Then you just try to fight him, you try to keep it between him and the basket. He can jump over you, you’ve got to make him jump over you and not try to give him a lane to the basket.”
