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The Wizards continue their exhibition schedule Saturday at 8:00 P.M., taking on the Clippers at HP Field House in Orlando. The scrimmage game will be each team’s second of three such games leading up to the start of the league’s seeding game schedule beginning next weekend. Washington fell to the Denver, 89-82, on Wednesday evening while the Clippers topped the Magic, 99-90, earlier that day.
After playing 10-minute quarters in each team’s debut exhibition game, the league will return to its standard 12-minute quarters in teams’ second exhibition games and beyond.
Washington will be without Troy Brown Jr. (sprained right thumb) on Saturday. Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said pregame the injury is not considered serious. Brown Jr. totaled 12 points, six rebounds and five assists in the teams’ first scrimmage.
Game Info
HP Field House | 8:00 P.M. | NBCSW | 1500 AM
Probable Starters
Wizards: G – Shabazz Napier, G – Jerome Robinson, F – Isaac Bonga, F – Rui Hachimura, C – Thomas Bryant
Clippers: G – Reggie Jackson, G – Paul George, F – Kawhi Leonard, F – Marcus Morris Sr., C – Joakim Noah
Storylines
The importance of steady point guard play
If Wednesday’s Orlando debut was any indication of how point guards Shabazz Napier and Ish Smith will fill the usage void left by Bradley Beal, the Wizards are in capable hands. Napier and Smith combined for eight assists and just one turnover as the team as a whole assisted on 22 of 31 made field goals. Beal and sharpshooter Davis Bertans each served as space creators for every other player on the court. Their presence alone shifted the entire focus of opposing defenses. Now, Napier, Smith and the rest of the Wizards offense will have to operate with less space and far more aggressive defensive tactics, elevating the importance of reliable point guard play.
Napier and Smith, however, are just two of Washington’s options when it comes to capable ball-handling and playmaking. This season, Troy Brown Jr., who will not play Saturday against Los Angeles, has emerged as viable option pushing the ball up the court and leading the Wizards’ offense. Wednesday against Denver, after weeks of talk about how he would take on more ball-handling responsibility, Brown Jr. backed it up, registering five assists in 26 minutes of action.
More minutes for Washington’s late arrivals?
Wizards big men Thomas Bryant and Jarrod Uthoff arrived at the Disney campus over a week after the full-team arrival on July 7. Bryant, who stayed behind in D.C. until meeting all necessary testing and quarantine regulations put in place by the NBA, arrived on July 15. Uthoff was signed as a replacement player on July 17 and joined the team after passing his own set of requirement protocols. On Wednesday against Denver, both Bryant and Uthoff saw limited action as they continue to acclimate themselves with the team. Bryant started, but played just 7:42, scoring four points. Uthoff played 4:36, all of which came in the fourth quarter.
The distribution of minutes within the Wizards’ frontcourt rotation makes for one of the team’s most intriguing storylines in Orlando. The group, which includes as many as seven players, features some versatility. Bryant, Uthoff, Moe Wagner, Johnathan Williams and Rui Hachimura have shown an ability to play both the four and five positions – as well as the three in Hachimura’s case. Ian Mahinmi and Anzejs Pasecniks each play almost exclusively at the center position.
Bryant is expected to play a big role for the Wizards, as indicated by his start on Wednesday, and will see his minutes climb as he get his legs back under him. Uthoff, as a new addition, is more of a question mark. A capable shooting stretch four, he’ll certainly have the chance to play himself into a larger role if he makes shots. With as many big men as the Wizards are working with and only a certain number of minutes to go around, all involved will have to excel if they want to continue to see the court.
Staying out of foul trouble
In their first exhibition game, the Wizards struggled to stay out of foul trouble. Shabazz Napier and Jerome Robinson each tallied two fouls in the first quarter as the Nuggets hit all seven of their first-quarter free throws, putting Washington in an early hole. Robinson fouled out of the game with 4:36 left while Isaac Bonga, after recording a plus-18 rating in just 22 minutes of action, fouled out with 7:00 to go. Moe Wagner recorded five personal fouls. Perhaps little should be made of the foul totals; it was the players’ first game action in over four months. They were going up against a massive Denver lineup that included All-NBA center Nikola Jokic playing minutes at point guard, creating a series of matchups unlikely to repeat themselves. That said, the Wizards must keep it from becoming a trend.
Saturday’s showdown with the Clippers will be a perfect test. Prior to the hiatus, Los Angeles tied for the league lead in forced opponent personal fouls per game (22.8). In their first exhibition against the Magic, the Clippers forced Orlando into 20 personal fouls despite playing 10-minute quarters.