Preseason: Do Old Habits Die Hard?

Game 1 v Toronto Raptors

98 -125

Starting lineup JP, Bilal, Kuz JV, Sarr

2nd unit Corey, Kyshawn, Sarr, Carrington, Bilal

Highlights

A lot of ball movement

Effort on defense

Communication

Lowlights

Not enough spacing

Jordan being double teamed

Too many ball handlers

Rusty, not making shots

Playing fast but not under control

Bad shot selection

Scouting Report:

The first thing I noticed immediately was the defense. Everyone was locked in and doing well on the defensive end.  PG Poole had a really good court vision and the numbers don’t always show this, but he was making the right decisions. Shots weren’t falling for the team but that part will come later. Jordan used his speed to draw fouls twice which I hope he uses more each game. Kuz played very selfishly though the game, taking bad shots and playing iso ball into the crowded paint over and over.

The rookies showed a lot of promise but still looked like rookies, little mistakes were made that is expected, especially during their first game. The second unit was ROUGH, not sure the thought process other than just assessing the strengths and weaknesses of them without having a lot of veteran help around them, they just had Corey. Bub who is a pg got the chance to go out and lead the offense by himself. The turnovers may have given me a grey hair because it was almost nonstop for stretch.

Corey is always so consistent, and you can tell he was heavily focused on improvement.  Initially I was slightly open to multiple ball handlers but there are just way too many people playing point guard. I understand development but there are positions in basketball for a reason. Not every player is a playmaker. Everyone should have a defined role. Toronto was playing with a purpose, preseason or not they came out swinging. They really took advantage of the rust and youth from the wizards. The team looked rusty which is to be expected. There are a lot of new parts on the team so it will take time for the team to learn each other.

Game 2 v New York Knicks

94-117

Starting Unit: JP,  Bilal, Kyle, Sarr and JV

2nd unit: Bub, Corey, Holmes, Bialal, Kyshawn

Highlights

Corey Kispert

Lowlights

30 Turnovers…

Scouting Report:

30 Turnovers. I could just stop there and that would explain the entire game. Very sloppy play. Now the Knicks are a playoff roster and there are two rookies and a 2nd year in Bilal starting so I didn’t expect much other than the young guys getting experience. Both teams didn’t come out shooting the best. Midway through the 1stquarter the score was 4-16. Corey entered the game and does what Corey does, SHOOTS. Corey came out very aggressive, referencing back to his media day interview, he was looking for contact when playing and it shows. The wizards10-0 run Kyshawn started to get it going. The second unit came out more aggressive on offense and defense and moving the ball.

The second unit came in hot but as soon as the defense adjusted it was turnover after turnover which let the game slip away

Game 3 v Toronto Raptors

113 - 95

Starting Unit: JP, Bilal, Kyshawn, Kuz, Sarr

2nd unit: Jordan, Bub, Corey, Kyshawn, JV

Highlights

Rookies looking comfortable

Effort on defense

Jordan and Sarr’s connectivity

Lowlights

Turnovers

Lack of ball movement at times

Bad passes

Bad decision making

Scouting Report:

The starting unit initially didn’t look cohesive at all. Similar to the first game a major issue was turnovers. I'm already starting to notice that Jordan and Alex have a very good connection already, so I am looking forward to see that develop more. Another issue that from the previous games I'm still having is there are too many people trying to play make. Like I spoke about in the previous post I'm fine with multiple people playmaking but it's getting out of hand. Now there were some good looks happening, but the shot was just not falling and as long as they're good looks there's not much you can do about that. Defensively the Wizards were putting in effort, but it was just hard for them to keep up with the Knicks. I didn't notice once again that Kyle was making some questionable decisions and continuing to play ISO ball. I did notice Jordan's leadership, even when he didn't have the ball in his hands he was helping direct traffic and coaching the young guys  on the floor.

I didn't like that Jordan seemed to be relying on threes and not being aggressive with driving to the basket. I also did not like that Kyle had 22 shot Corey was playing aggressive and I can definitely see the improvement on his defense and not being afraid of using his body to get what he wants offensively. Sarr’s Three ball was active. The other rookies looked good as well. Bub has been good at being point guard and I like Kyshawn's shooting and defense.

Game 4 v Brooklyn Nets

92 - 131

Starting Unit: JP, Corey, Bub, Kuz, Bagley

2nd unit: Kyshawn, Johnny, Bilal, PBJ and Holmes  

Highlights

Good ball movement

Defense of the starting lineup initially

Playing aggressive

Lowlights

Decision making at times

Shots not falling

Scouting Report:

I like the starting lineup, I'm glad that Corey was added because that gives true spacing on the court. Jordan started the game with cutting to the basket and quickly had five points. Bub Was also very aggressive with driving to the basket as w They started the game with really good ball movement and taking care of the ball better. Some that is important to me is everyone committing on defense even if the defense is now always stopping the opponent the goal is to make each shot more difficult for  Jordan's passing was sheriff's case like his court vision is 100/10 and  as the team gets more comfortable I'm really excited to watch

The rookies looked really good which I also think that they are benefiting from Jordan being on the court next to them because a lot of times Jordan will be getting double teamed. Even though they look really good the rookies are still rookies so there are a lot of mistakes that they make but that's something to be expected and of course as they get more comfortable on the court will improve on. The second unit was really good with decision making and sharing the ball but the shots weren't falling. That will will come later but they were able to take care of the ball and seemingly get better as the time went on period now the game was lost when the bold habits started with those turnovers and the lack of team by.

Game 5 v Knicks

118-117

Starting Unit: JP, Jared, Bub, JV, Kyshawn, Kuz

2nd unit: Davis, Bub, PBJ, Bagley and Butler

Highlights

High IQ

Played fast but controlled

Ball movement

Cohesiveness

Lowlights

Silly Fouls

Scouting Report: The wizards came off super serious, the ball movement was great. Everyone showed up more aggressive and made the right plays. Jordan got going early and I feel like when that happens, he’s better all around. Good defense especially against what looks like the staring lineup for the Knicks. What they did in the first quarter is what I want to see all the time.

Final Thoughts

At the end old the day its preseason.  I get it but they absolutely added stress to my life because bad habits can consume the game. Some of the lineups I did not like but I realize this is the opportunity to try things even if it looks a litter crazy to see what to implement when the season starts. Some things I saw that I wasn’t a fan of from last year is iso ball and looking off places just to get bad shots. I hope some of the personal agendas don’t bleed into the regular season. That rookie, Bilal and Corey lineup was killing me quickly so I hope we don’t see that again, for a while at least.  I also do not like everyone on the team playing PG and feel slighted as a fan of Jordan especially since we’ve waited this long for PG Poole just for him to potentially have to share that responsibility with everyone on the team when he’s more than ready. I do love the immediate commitment of playing defense that has rolled over from last year. I won’t lie, I am a little nervous about this season but I am choosing to be optimistic about Jordans success regardless. It looks like we may be in for a true roller coaster ride but anything for 13.

Until Next Time,

Stephanie bka S Dot