As the Wizards embark on their first road trip, which will take them to Atlanta and Milwaukee before returning home for a New Year’s Day visit from Boston, it is already clear that fitness and a dearth of games in quick succession will play a significant role in how the NBA season will unfold. “I’m just going to have to throw ice in the tub in the hotel room,” Wizards forward Rashard Lewis said of his plans when he’s away from home, along with eating right and getting rest.
Lewis was a rookie during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, a 50-game stretch where he said his team rarely practiced, putting a premium on paying attention at morning shootaround and film sessions.
Recommended Stories
NBA teams can also dress 13 players instead of the usual 12. Veterans Maurice Evans and Roger Mason Jr. may have minimal roles to start, but Wizards coach Flip Saunders said he won’t be afraid to change starters, especially when facing 16 back-to-backs and two stretches of three games in three nights. He felt that fitness played a role in their season-opening loss to New Jersey, and he had his players running sprints on Tuesday.
“I think the schedule’s going to beat you maybe more times than the team you’re playing against,” Saunders said. “What you hope to be able to do is with an extended bench and being able to play with energy every night, that’s not going to be as much of a factor.”
– Craig Stouffer
