Wizards open 2011-12 season against the Nets on Monday Their lockers are on opposite sides of the Wizards’ locker room. They came into the NBA in opposite fashion. They don’t play the same role on the court. They don’t have the same reputation or projected ceiling.
But as the Wizards make final preparations for the start of the 2011-12 regular season, it’s imperative that John Wall and Andray Blatche are on the same page. It’s the only way for them to make the most of their shared opportunity and shared responsibility to move the team forward and reshape its hopes as a franchise.
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How is that possible for a 21-year-old point guard who was the No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft in 2010 and a 25-year-old power forward who has largely underachieved since he was a late second-round pick more than six years ago?
– Craig Stouffer
| Five questions |
| 1. Will the compressed schedule help or hurt? With 66 games in 123 days, the only thing guaranteed will be chaos. But the Wizards believe they have the young legs and deep roster to endure 16 back-to-backs and two stretches of three games on three consecutive nights. Washington could steal wins against older teams and end up in a playoff chase, or lose a ton in quick succession and depress the fan base further. |
| 2. Which starter will make the leap? Many experts expect John Wall to have a breakout season after nagging injuries hampered his rookie campaign. Andray Blatche has said all the right things, but only his play will show if he has jettisoned the on- and off-court tendencies that have held him back for so long. JaVale McGee was second in the NBA in blocks last season, but what he needs to average is double-figure rebounds. |
| 3. Who will emerge as the best shooting guard? Nick Young led the Wizards with 17.4 points a game last season, but it didn’t translate into a lucrative offer on the restricted free agent market. After settling for a one-year qualifying offer, Young wants to boost his stock. But Jordan Crawford, in his second season, has his sights on claiming the spot that he held while Young was injured late last year. |
| 4. With development of young players a priority, what will happen to the veterans? Wizards coach Flip Saunders has a dilemma: lean on his veterans or throw his youngsters into the thick of the battle. Rashard Lewis might begin the year as a starter, but he’s still an amnesty candidate next season. Maurice Evans and Roger Mason Jr. might both be better today than the guys ahead of them who the Wizards are grooming for the future. |
| 5. Who will be the most successful rookie? It will be difficult to judge Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton and Shelvin Mack on the same scale. Vesely was the top pick, but is still 21 years old and raw, he’s a project. Singleton is likely to earn minutes early and often thanks to his tenacious defense. Mack is a poised winner, but minutes will be sparse at the point behind Wall and Crawford. |
For Wall, it’s because his second season is no longer about what he can do in the NBA but what he can do to make his team win NBA games. It makes little sense for him to contend for the NBA’s most improved award if the Wizards themselves aren’t showing signs of progress.
“I think this year they really understand and respond to me more,” Wall said of his teammates. “I have another year under my belt, and I think those guys understand how hard I’m working, what I’m trying to do and help those guys get better, get better myself and also help the team.”
There’s no doubt that Washington will do what it can to keep Wall, and there’s little chance that Blatche is going away, thanks to the five-year extension he signed prior to last season. Still, entering his seventh NBA season, Blatche knows he’s running out of chances.
“I’m just grateful for still being here,” Blatche said. “I’m thankful for having this organization, this owner and the coaches for never turning their back on me. They always are having my back and have kept pushing me. They could have easily given up on me a long time ago, and they haven’t.”
Blatche is also still 6-foot-11 and capable of being a dominant scoring and rebounding presence in the lane, which he’s done the past two meaningless Aprils. This year, he’s starting the season healthy and with the chance to prove he can play the right way when it matters.
“I think he’s talked more right now about team success to people than he ever has,” Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. “As you get older you understand that how you’re valued. You’re judged by how your teams win, not by what you do statistically.”
Both Wall and Blatche have spoken in recent days about a lack of understanding of who will play the primary and secondary roles in the Wizards’ offense. It’s actually not complicated: they’ll be two of the team’s three top scorers with Nick Young.
What’s harder is playing with the consistent effort and mentality that’s required to compete in the NBA. Wall and Blatche are the faces that will determine whether the Wizards can execute down the stretch in a close game and if they are worth believing in on a nightly basis. That, more than wins and losses, will be the measure of the team’s progress.
“I’m just excited,” Blatche said. “I feel we got a big chance to do something big this year as long as we stay together and work hard, and I think we are.”
