Media Day: The Players
- Steph
- Oct 14, 2024
- 11 min read
Part 2: The Players
I wanted to deep dive into the player interviews especially because I'm not extremely familiar with a lot of the new guys. I didn't want to do research on them because I like to judge people based upon what I see from them versus what the internet says. We all know how easy it is for one person to spread something negative about another and it spreads like wildfire. I didn't want to prejudge any of the newbies before I got the opportunity to see for myself. I really want to highlight some things that I saw from their individual interviews and then we will of course get to know them on the court as well as the season continues.
Bilal Coulibaly. Year 2
With his rookie season and an Olympic Silver Medal under his belt, I'm excited to see what Bilal worked on during offseason. During his media day interview Bilal mentioned that something he worked on this summer was his ball handling skills and endurance. Bilal noted that towards the end of the season he felt mentally and physically exhausted which is why his shot wasn't falling like previously. Playing for LNB Pro gave him experience but they don't play as many games, in the same fashion as the in the NBA which made it important for him to spend time this summer learning how to take care of his body.
Bilal noted that he learned more from his Olympics experience than he has in the last year and a half. He wants to be more of a vocal and display more leadership this year. He feels more confident and like there is more direction with the team this season. Something that was exciting to me is Bilal has grown over the summer to 6’7, 6’9 with shoes.
Kyshawn George. Rookie
Kyshawn was asked what his biggest adjustment entering the NBA and he said it's the physicality in which he said his teammates have been helping him prepare. His goal this season are to prove himself as a player that deserves to be in the league and getting experience in order to grow. He doesn’t see any stryggles with being a rookie but sees it an an opportunity, he realizes that he’s still young, learning and gets to live out his dream. He wants to focus on being great on defense and just getting repetitions while enjoying the process. Says that he likes working with BK because he actually cares about them as people and has experience working with big name guys in the league. Kyshawn enjoys the fact that he was drafted with two other guys, because they have spent a lot of time together and leaning on each other throughout the entire process.
Bub Carrington. Rookie
Bub was asked what his biggest adjustment is while transitioning to the NBA and he said the professional aspects off the court. It goes beyond just playing basketball, they have to make different appearances and attend fundraising events. He hasn't experienced any negatives of being a rookie, Bub just sees being in the NBA as an opportunity that he is extremely grateful for. The biggest expectation for him from BK is to continuously learn and grow.
Bub has a defensive mind and that is something that he really wants to focus on. He mentioned that everyone can shoot so he really wanted to focus on putting stops on good players and be relentless because the defense is something that will always be there even if the offense isn't that particular game. When asked about BK, Bub said that he wants to win games but he really wants what's best for his players, he will do everything to help you reach your goals and has the experience to back up what he says.
Alex Sarr. Rookie.
Alex was asked if he was comfortable playing the four or the five and responded that he’s good with either. His goals are to improve every single game and leave an imprint on the game while doing that. Alex stated that his biggest learning curve would be playing more games than he’s used to and learning how to go against NBA bigs which Jonas is helping him with. Alex said it shouldn’t be too hard of a transition from switching over from the Australian league. He was asked about his experience with Summer league, in which hw used as an experience that was able to show him what exactly he needs to be working on the remainder of the off-season. Something important to him was learning where Jordan and Kyle like to get shots because it’s important to know where to feed them the ball, as well as the same for them. He also felt it was important to be good at reading the defense, so he can make the right decisions based upon that.
Kyle Kuzma. Year 8
The first thing that Kyle notes was that this is the best team he has been around since he’s been in DC in terms of chemistry, character and camaraderie. He said that everyone on the team has similar views on basketball. Kyle also feels that he was given a gift by God where he can read people and has the ability to feel people out which helps him with his judge of character. He's excited to have Jonas as a part of the team because he's going to bring rebounding since they were the worst rebounding team last year. He really likes BK and the coaching staff. They have recently implemented a new and nonconventional style of play. He also mentioned that BK and the coaching staff have high expectations, pays attention to detail and everybody respects and listens to him. The team is player lead and BK is emotionally intelligent which helps the group understand each other.
Kyle said he doesn't have any challenges with being a leader to the younger players because it's his duty as an NBA player to pay it forward to the youth and to help each other. He plans to lead by example by coming in and doing what he's supposed to do every day. Kyle feels like he can impact the game with his passing abilities.
Kyle mentioned something that was very interesting to me, he said Jordan is now a different person and he wasn't the real Jordan Poole last season. He noted that the reason he thinks he didn't see Jordan be himself last season was because he moved to a different team and there are challenges in that which caused Jordan to be more standoffish and quiet. Kyle also said that Jordan deserves grace and is currently more relaxed and at home with the team.
Kyle says that he goes out and plays the game and is not looking for attention or is worried about the opinions of others. He had a career year but the team was not good so he wants to go out and focus on things he control. He plans to go out every game and doing what he's supposed to do and to be at peace with whatever happens. Kyle really likes DC and the challenge of being on a rebuilding team, he feels like he's a part of something and wants to help build culture. He doesn't want to abandon the team because times will be hard but really wants to set the franchise up for success and help the young players get better.
Corey Kispert. Year 4
Corey started with explaining that last year ended on a good note because of the beginning of the year. Typically would roll over before the game ended if they were down but when they ended the season where they were competitive the entire game. This year he intends for them to continue that and maintaining resilience. Corey is about to be eligible to get his big contract and has a big decision to make at the end of the season. I like thar Corey is extremely optimistic about his contract season because in some cases a lot of people are stressed about it but he's actually excited. He noted that he gets to play the game that he loves and his main goal for the money is to set his family so he realizes that everybody has their moment, so he is just going to have fun while waiting for his.
Corey was asked about his leadership qualities and how he plans to lead being that there are a lot of youth on their team. Corey stated that he was really excited and that he's always felt like a leader but didn't necessarily feel comfortable speaking up as much because he was one of the young guys himself. He's one of the longest tenured Wizards so he's at a place where he feels very comfortable with displaying his leadership qualities as well as holding people accountable. A way that he plans on helping the rookies is with things beyond the core is really emphasizing learning everyone's names that they usually come in contact with, being on time and just the little things that are not obvious.
Over the offseason Corey has picked up some muscle so he is better prepared for contact on the court. He actually said he craves it and needs to remember his stature and that he can create some stops. Something important that most of the guys spoke about was the lack of defense last year, because BK has a defensive background is emphasizing. Corey thinks that Jonas and Alex will help bring some defense to the team and improve that defensive rating this year.
Corey is excited to work with Malcolm because Malcolm plans to unlock corey's game. Malcolm is really good with getting in the paint driving and kicking out the ball to the shooters. He's already talked to Malcolm and they really plan to work together to playoff of each other's skill set.
Corey did speak about Jordan and the first thing he said that Jordan's blood pressure seemed to be a lot lower which is hilarious. There are a lot of things to deal with from coming to an organization like the warriors to the Wizards which are completely different. He noted that Jordan had a lot of different responsibilities that he might not have had to do with the warriors and overall there's always a transition period when moving teams. Jordan now feels more calm and comfortable and secure in himself and his game which shows in his leadership.
Jonas Valanciunas. Year 13
Jonas is an other player that wanted to come to the Wizards. He noted when having a young team and you’re trying to build a good culture that good habits, it is important to leave by example and that is something that Jonas emphasized what he is bringing to the team. He thinks that they have tools to get to the playoffs and experience will come as they continue to play together. Jonas was asked about losing and how he planned to manage dealing with that but he counteracted with he did not come here to focus on losing or plan for losing. He wants to focus on fighting to the end whether they are up or down and not giving up before the game is over. He also wants to learn what each teammate likes and setting screens. His plan is to get Jordan open for the shot as Jordan will get the lobs for him. He is big on communication and talking to each other throughout each play. He likes BK as a coach because he’s very honest and if he sees something he’s going to tell the player about it good or bad.
Malcolm Brogdon Year 9
Malcolm was excited to join the organization, he went to school in DC and also has friends and family there. He’s a very close friend of Anthony Gill, they went to college and played basketball together so he’s excited to play at a higher level with him. He does have experience playing a faster pace which will help him seamlessly fit in to the wizards system. He plans to add his veteran experience with finishing games because it was something that they struggled with last year. He’s also been focusing on building relationships with the rookies along as the rest of the team. His veteran experience is great because he has been emphasizing that the younger guys know to be patient with themselves and it is a process but also enjoy. Says that Jordan is one of the best young talents and gets a lot of criticism, but says that people are only going to criticize you if you are great. Malcolm wants to focus on touching the paint and helping Corey get open for easy shots. Malcolm's goal is to be a catalyst that sparks movement, and the advantage of getting the ball.
A really important thing that Malcolm said was that it is on the vets to maintain camaraderie, a positive attitude and keeping the team uplifted. We know they are going through a rebuild, therefore, it is not going to be an easy pathway. He is focused on keeping everybody together, whether they are up or down.
Jordan Poole. Year 6
I decided to save the best for last because I wanted to end this article on a good note. Immediately Jordan was asked about BK and something that makes me happy is Jordan said that BK's emphasis is to put players in the position to succeed. With the short amount of time that he was the head coach last season Jordan feels like BK did a great job to get the guys to buy in to what he wanted them to do and also to play with more togetherness. He's excited to see BK has the opportunity to implement all of his offensive and defensive ideas now that he spent the summer preparing for this season.
The next question after Jordan was asked about Kyle's statement saying that the Jordan was not the Jordan Poole he knows was not there last season. Jordan chuckled and said that he never left and he still there. He also noted that he now has a year under his belt with the team and most importantly he's finally able to play his natural position. Playing the point guard is how he's played throughout his career and how he has gained success. He was asked about how he thinks his efficiency will be affected and he said tremendously. I personally think when you are more comfortable perform better period so overall he should have a great year.
One thing that I really like Jordan's leadership is he brought the team to California this summer to do some work on the court and to also just to get to know each other and build chemistry. He really wanted every one to be able to learn each others tendencies before they got to training camp. The most important part for him was to let the new teammates know that he was there to help them with any questions and for them to feel comfortable talking to him. Another question was asked was how he willl lead, Jordan said from a young age he has always played with older guys which he was able to learn from them on how to be a leader along with him just being authentically himself. He also wants the younger guys to remember to have fun because at the end of the day they all get to live out something they've been dreaming about since they've been kids.
Jordan is excited to play with Jonas because he has been praying for a big. He's also acknowledge the fact that they were good with creating misses for other teams last year but didn't have a lot of second opportunities which is a strong quality that Jonas has. He's also excited to have a screen setter where Jordan will be able to get downhill, create space for himself as well as creating plays for teammates. Jonas also played European basketball which Jordan has experience with from his college days which consists of a lot of rescreening and a lot of movement screening, movement and passing. Overall Jordan is very competitive so he did express that this was a completely new experience for him because he is not used to losing so much. They're in a rebuilding phase and last year was more of a transition year for him. He feels they now have a clear picture of what they want to accomplish this year and that will help Jordan and the rest of the team know what to focus their energy on. They all have a common goal to fight. Jordan finished his interview with ‘don't worry about me, I'm good , i'm fine. It’s already written, it’ll fall into place.”
Stephanie's Takeaway's
Overall everyone's interviews on the same page. There was a lot of positivity and a lot of optimism for this year. It gives me a little bit of hope to see some changes from a lot of the qualities that I didn't like last year. I'm a little apprehensive because last year and there were so many negatives but sometimes you have to go to the valley a little longer before you get to the mountaintop. Pre season is in full swing and I'm excited to do my analysis of those games.
Until next time
Stephanie BKA SDot
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