Even if John Wall doesn’t return from a left foot sprain to join the Wizards’ lineup for the first time in a week on Sunday at Detroit, he now has been gone long enough that his backcourt teammates have started to learn how to do without him.
With Wall out, both Kirk Hinrich and Gilbert Arenas played their best games of the season last week in a pair of victories over Toronto and Memphis, wins that helped take the sting out of the 31-point defeat at Boston sandwiched in between them.
Where » Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich.When » Sunday, 6 p.m.TV/Radio » CSN/106.7 FM
“John’s strengths are different from ours,” Arenas said. “He’s more of a fast-break machine. So when he’s in the game, you have to lay back to let him do his thing, and we have to find our rhythm. With Kirk, I’ve watched a lot of his game playing against the Bulls. He’s more of a pick, dribble-drive kind of guy. … Same with me. We all play different.”
Wizards coach Flip Saunders revealed his preference for a three-guard lineup in the preseason when Wall, Arenas and Hinrich were healthy. There’ll be no surprise should he lean in that direction again once his prodigious rookie regains his health.
Meanwhile, each game has brought another indication that Arenas is returning to form. He averaged 22 points in last week’s wins, shooting only a hair under 50 percent (14-for-29) while playing better defense and adding 10 assists.
Leaving Hinrich on the bench also isn’t an option, not after the way he scored 12 of his 22 points in the third quarter against the Grizzlies, almost single-handedly keeping the Wizards (4-7) in the game. With the way Hinrich pushed the tempo, it was almost as if he were doing an impression of Wall.
Hinrich also served up a double-double (13 points, 12 assists) against the Raptors and dished out six more assists against Memphis, including a pair of crucial feeds to Arenas for a game-tying two-pointer and the go-ahead 3 late in the fourth quarter.
“I think for me I’m a little bit more in my comfort zone, just being accustomed to having the ball in my hands a lot, and I just have a good feel with Gil right now, just using each other, helping each other and helping each other get shots,” Hinrich said. “It’s just feeling pretty good right now.”
