training camp

Jackson Filyo

We asked our players who they WOULD want to sit next to on a flight to Japan and who they'd rather not sit next to! Hear what they had to say...

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Camp Cam: Which Wizards Player would you want to sit next to on the flight to Japan?

Wheels up tomorrow to Japan for the NBA Global Games vs. the Golden State Warriors! We asked our guys their must haves for the long flight there on our Camp Cam, presented by MedStar Health.

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Wizards Camp Cam: Japan Flight Necessities

Luke Askew

Taj Gibson has been around the block. He had a productive three-year college career at USC before being drafted by the Bulls in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft. He has played in 13 playoff series, including a run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011 with Chicago. He’s played alongside a league MVP in Derrick Rose. He’s been a starter. He’s been a reserve. He’s seen nearly everything a basketball court has to offer.

Yet Gibson remains relentless in his training. He keeps his competitive energy high. And he’s still finding joy in the little things.

On Media Day, Gibson was asked what the young guys have taught him thus far.

“They’re teaching me to smile again,” said Gibson. “Lately I’ve just been smiling. I’ve just been enjoying the ride, enjoying just waking up, honestly just to go to train and battle with them early in the mornings. It’s been phenomenal.”

Having a guy like Gibson around is invaluable for a young team with playoff aspirations. He knows the rigors of the NBA schedule. He knows how to manage the ups and downs of impressive wins and disappointing losses. He’s fine with being the biggest supporter on the bench or playing as many minutes as needed.

“I understand there’s going to be nights where I may not even play, and I’m fine with that,” said Gibson.

Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr., however, knows Gibson is going to force his hand.

“He’s going to find minutes,” said Coach Unseld said with a smile. “He’s one of those guys that’s going to force you to play him.”

“If you need me to play, I can play, and I will get the job done,” said Gibson. “But that’s not exactly why I’m here. I’m here to just try to be Taj, support the guys that are on my team and make them better.”

Coach Unseld couldn’t help himself from gushing about the benefits of having a guy like Gibson at training camp.

“He’s a pro’s pro,” said Unseld. “He brings that intensity, physicality, aggressiveness, and he’s a steadying presence for some of our young guys who get a little bit rattled at times if the game’s moving fast. He’s always lending an ear, and being that vet and mentor, which I think is tremendous.”

For Gibson, it’s really just about having fun with the grind. He loves what the young guys are bringing out of him.

“All I’ve been doing is smiling,” said Gibson with a smile. “It’s been great having [the young guys] be real responsive. Every drill, they’re calling me out there. Every drill, we’re laughing. Every drill, they want me in the drill with them. Every drill we’re just trying to get better, but at the same time, the respect level is there, and I just love it. I’m really enjoying it.”

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Taj Gibson is finding joy in his veteran role

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Photos: Training Camp Day 3

The offseason is a pivotal time period for NBA players. It’s their only chance to step away from the rigorous day-in and day-out schedule of the regular season and focus on self-improvement. For second-year wing Corey Kispert, there were three main areas of focus: flexibility, consistency from deep, and defense.

There’s a natural understanding of how a player can improve their flexibility and shooting consistency. For flexibility, it’s about how you warm up, how you take care of your body, and how much time you spend stretching. For shooting consistency, it’s as simple as getting shots up every day and mimicking game situations. But how does one actually improve their individual defense in the offseason? It’s hard to walk onto an empty court and “practice” defense by yourself.

Kispert wasn’t shy about how he was able to improve defensively over the summer.

“Taking pickup seriously,” said Kispert. “Getting a chance to guard guys that are quicker, faster, shiftier than you, and then taking that end of the floor personally. For me, I got really lucky. I was in a situation where I played pickup against a lot of really good players this summer.”

But what does taking pickup more seriously actually mean?

“A lot of what pickup is for a lot of guys in the summer is just a chance to get out and work on their cardio,” Kispert said. “It’s dribble and giggle a little bit. For me, it wasn’t that. It was an opportunity to get reps, get better, and guard players who are quicker, faster, and stronger than me. Doing all those things and really taking plays where I get scored on personally, making it a mission to be one of the best defenders on the floor was kind of my goal, rather than just getting shots up or anything like that.”

The decision for Kispert to start taking pickup more seriously came when he was trying to think of ways to improve his defensive impact for the Wizards.

“I just thought about ways I could get better on defense over the summer, and that was kind of an easy fix – that was an easy choice,” Kispert said. “There were times last year where we’d be close at the end of the game and coach would be subbing me out on defense and then putting me back in on offense. In order to be a good defender in the NBA, that can’t happen. I wanted to be able to do anything I could to fix that.”

Everyone that has played pickup before, regardless of the level, knows that sometimes people get annoyed with the guy that takes it seriously. Kispert doesn’t care.

“Yeah, that’s their problem, not mine,” Kispert said. “They have to figure that out.”

“If you take it more seriously and you start winning games then all of a sudden you’re on the floor more often, you’re having more fun, and guys are kind of forced to follow,” Kispert said.

When asked about some of his more memorable pickup moments, Kispert said that spending most of his summer in Arizona put him on the court with a number of Phoenix Suns players – as well as other stars based on the West Coast.

One of the best parts of playing pickup hoops is that the benefits go far beyond what happens between the lines.

“If you lose a game, you’re on the sideline and all you’re doing is talking basketball,” Kispert said. “And guys are willing to answer your questions. So just being an open book and being a sponge and soaking everything in is really important to your development.”

D.C. fans won’t have to wait long to see how Kispert’s mentality during off-season pickup games helped him develop. The season is right around the corner with preseason games in Japan starting on Friday, September 30, and the regular season kicking off on Wednesday, October 19 in Indiana.

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Corey Kispert’s key to offseason improvement: taking pickup seriously

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Photos: Wizards Training Camp Day 2

Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal are a theoretical match made in basketball heaven. On both ends of the court, they complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Yet, seven months since Porzingis was acquired by the Wizards, he and Beal have yet to play alongside one another in real game action.

When the Wizards made the move last season to acquire Porzingis from the Mavericks, Beal had already been ruled out for the season with a wrist injury, preventing the duo from sharing the court together before the end of the regular season.

Now that Porzingis has had his first full offseason as a Wizard and Beal is healthy, it’s time to see what those two can do together.&nbsp;After Saturday’s opening day of Training Camp, Brad was asked on which end of the court he’s most excited to see Porzingis’ impact.&nbsp;

“Both,” Beal stated plainly. “He’s an underrated defender. Even with me playing against him [in training camp], he alters some of the decision-making I have on offense. Long, athletic – we don’t really see that a lot, especially in our conference. To have him on our side is greatly beneficial.”&nbsp;

Beal went on to say, “Offensively, he spaces the floor, and it’s so crazy how versatile he is. His ability to shoot the long-range three, trail threes, get in the mid-post and dominate, finish at the rim – it’s unfair in so many ways.” 

Porzingis was asked a similar question about his own versatility and where he feels he can impact the game most. “Obviously, it’s no secret that offensively I’m going to open things up for a lot of guys,” Porzingis said. “But where I’m looking forward to getting back to the level that I know I can play is defensively. Even today, I feel like I’m always my own critic. I feel like, on some of the plays, I was half a step late and I don’t want to do that. I want to have my teammates back and block everything that I can around the rim.”&nbsp;

It’s clear that both Beal and Porzingis know how helpful the Latvian big man will be on offense, but their most enthusiastic comments came when talking about the defense. NBA fans have seen Porzingis be a dominant defender in the past, and so long as his body holds up, he should be able to get back to that level of movement and activity fans saw in New York.&nbsp;

If Porzingis can be a constant deterrent around the rim, it will make life easier on the entire team. Having a lengthy, athletic rim protector on the backline does more than just block shots. Over the course of time, it can make opposing players question whether or not they even want to attack the basket. Sometimes it can feel hopeless when there’s an elite shot-blocker waiting for them to make an attempt at the rim.&nbsp;

Beal’s perimeter game on offense combined with Porzingis’ offensive versatility should make them an immediate weapon on offense, and as the team starts to gel, their defense should improve as well.&nbsp;

Last season, the Wizards were 25th in the league in defensive efficiency – a mark they’ll surely look to improve upon. But the early returns are promising. When two of the primary leaders on the team are excited about the defense, there’s a reason for the fans to be excited as well.