The Wizards surveyed another batch of players Monday who may or may not figure in their future. Then they watched a player who definitely does: last year’s first-round draft pick, Oleksiy Pecherov.
After five NBA hopefuls ran through drills at Verizon Center, including Louisiana State forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Pecherov and Wizards forward Andray Blatche worked out together.
Pecherov, known for his perimeter shot and rebounding, played for BC Kyiv in Ukraine this past season. The 7-footer, picked 18th overall last year, will be on the Wizards’ roster this season. Both sides have said it was wise for Pecherov to stay overseas one more year.
“Last year was good for me,” he said. “I began to understand the game better and became a better team player.
“If you want to be a great player you have to be good in all parts of the game. I try to work hard on all of them; rebounding, shooting, and defense. I like rebounding a lot that is what I try to do in the game. I like to score as well.”
Davis was joined in theworkouts by Alabama’s Jamareo Davidson, San Diego State’s Brandon Heath, France’s Ali Traore and Italy’s Marco Belinelli. Davis has trimmed down in the offseason, hovering around 295 pounds. He said his highest weight was around 350.
“I wanted to be the best player I can be; and for health reasons,” Davis said of the reasons for the weight loss. “You want to live a long time and in this profession you have to be in shape.”
