[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Preseason Game No. 4, Washington Wizards at Brooklyn Nets; contributors: Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20), John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend), and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It), all via television.]
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 Look, it’s ‘what’s his name’ … You know, that guy… |
Washington Wizards 88 at Brooklyn Nets 98 [box score]
Stat of the Game: It comes down to play creators and shot makers — Brooklyn shot 39-for-78 (50%) on 22 assists with 58 points in the paint. Washington shot 32-for-82 on 15 assists with 38 points in the paint. Player of the Game: Emeka Okafor, in his debut, had 12 points on some surprising post moves, but we’re giving this to Martell Webster for scoring 18 points while going just 3-for-10 from the field — two of his makes were 3-pointers and he went 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. |
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Rating five Wizards starters & two key subs on a three-star scale. |
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| Jannero Pargo is a lot of things, but he’s not the answer. Five points, 2-for-5 on FGs, three rebounds, three assists, and one turnover in 18 minutes is some kind of answer, but if it’s the best on Ernie Grunfeld can come up with, the NBA Roulette-o’-Veterans in his office needs to be re-calibrated. Pargo’s passes to teammates are off and his teammates often look like they’re sure he’s not going to pass it. The miscommunication between players (guards in particular), in turn, led to several near-turnovers throughout the game. In other news, A.J. Price didn’t impress and Shelvin Mack played well again. Mack and Beal seem like the next obvious starting combination for Randy Wittman.
—Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) 0.5 out of 3 stars |
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| For three quarters Beal effectively let the game come to him. He shot picture perfect jumpers off screens and he demonstrated a willingness to make the extra pass rather than forcing shots (like Jordan Crawford did on several occasions). And when the Wizards went down 58-48 early in the third quarter, Beal (with help from Okafor) took charge and helped cut the deficit to one. First, he absorbed contact and made a tough layup in the lane off of a Wizards timeout. Then Beal grabbed two rebounds and got the team into the offense on the other end of the floor (perhaps he can temporarily solve the Wizards point guard woes). Beal struggled to follow Joe Johnson through screens, and he couldn’t handle the 6-foot-8 guard in the post, but there is no shame in a rookie struggling against a six-time All-Star. Beal also allowed Kris Humphries to absolutely eviscerate his layup/dunk attempt on a fast break in the second quarter. And unfortunately in the fourth quarter, when it became desperation time for the Wizards, Beal did break character and take a few bad shots. However, he continues to demonstrate a calm maturity beyond his 19 years, and that can only improve once the Wizards get a credible point guard back in the lineup.
—Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) 2 out of 3 stars |
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| Webster hit the floor in his second start looking to score. His first shot was an all-too-familiar midrange fadeaway and his last was a made free throw, one of a perfect ten on the night. Wittman’s game plan to free Webster, if you will, worked for the most part (nice screens early); Webster finished with a game-high 18 points. His aggressiveness, especially in transition, helped the Wizards stay competitive throughout the game. And though he didn’t shoot well from the floor (going just 3-for-10), he did sink a third of his 3-pointers—and he could have easily shot better than 50 percent with some of the looks he had. As a bonus, Phil Chenier boldly compared Webster to Joe Johnson.
—John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend) 2 out of 3 stars |
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| For the most part, some people — “those people” (such as me) — have been very patient with Jan Vesely. Some of that lost its innocence with just under five minutes left in Monday night’s game. Late in the possession, A.J. Price broke the defense down on his way to the hoop and softly dropped the ball off to Jan Vesely in the right short corner. And Jan barely caught rim/backboard on a jumper from within 10 feet. (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?) It was just a sad display of offensive prowess. When ESPN’s John Hollinger writes that Vesely has no feel or that he doesn’t have a clue, part of me realizes that Hollinger clearly hasn’t paid attention to the details, such as Vesely’s pick-and-roll defense. Part of me also realizes that Hollinger is talking about plays like this, as well another one against Brooklyn where Vesely blew a point-blank shot on what would’ve been a nice assist by Brad Beal. Vesely’s confidence, or lack thereof, could be a top five concern for the Wizards.
—Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) 0.5 out of 3 stars |
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| Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier, at two different points in the first quarter, mentioned that Okafor lost 12 pounds and some of his strength during his recent bout with food poisoning. But to Okafor’s credit against the Nets, he showed no signs of being a weakened player. He started the game with two strong dunks: one coming courtesy of a sharp pass form Jan Vesely and the other from an aggressive spin move in the post against an overmatched Joe Johnson. On the defensive side of things, Okafor didn’t block any shots, but he played solid position defense against the taller Brook Lopez (who scored 18), and he added six rebounds in 28 minutes (five defensive). He didn’t convince anyone that he could shoot, as he mentioned during Media Day, and he missed all four of his free throws. But between his solid inside play (which will only improve with the presence of Nene) and his willingness to play the occasional two-man game with Bradley Beal, there’s reason to be encouraged about Okafor as he gets his weight back up — so to speak.
—Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) 2 out of 3 stars |
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| For a few minutes there, basketball fans in Brooklyn got a taste of the Jordan Crawford Experience. His internal monologue probably sounds something like this. Good? Bad? It didn’t really matter. Crawford delivered, shooting 5-for-10 from the field (0-for-2 from 3-point range, but remember he’s a .279 shooter from deep) to finish with 12 points. Crawford also dusted off his passing point guard and was able to turn a few possessions (and a no-look pass) into points. John Wall gave Crawford some love in a previously recorded interview with CSN. “Jordan knows the game a little,” Wall said, and added that Crawford—along with Ariza and Webster—has served as a bit of a mentor to Bradley Beal. Take tips, but play your game, Rookie.
—John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend) 2 out of 3 stars |
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| Ariza should look to pass a bit more. And it’s not just because he was 1-for-6 from outside the paint (4-for-10 from the field), but because there were times when he could have made the extra pass but hesitated, denying the Wizards a chance at points. (That spot-up J is ugly.) He did OK on the defensive side, but looked slow to regain position when trailing the ball in the half court. Hard to make a case for a bump up in the rotation with uneven games like this, especially on a night when Martell Webster was the best small forward in town.
—John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend) TOTAL: 1 out of 3 stars |
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TOP TWEET:
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 You’ve got a long way to go, Honza. |
