Davis Bertans is ready to put last season behind him originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Davis Bertans had a year to forget last season.
His field goal percentage was the lowest in his career. His 3-point shooting percentage was the lowest since the 2017-18 season and the second-lowest of his career. He ended the year with a calf injury and spent half the summer getting it into playing shape.
Now, with a new coach and new supporting cast, he’s ready to put it all behind him.
“Last year was one of those years you kind of want to forget,” Bertans said Monday at Wizards Media Day. “At the end of my career, I can say, ‘OK, that one year was something out of the ordinary.’ I don’t think you’re ever going to have a shooter that goes the whole season long, and all eight, nine months of shooting at 45, 50 percent. There’s always going to be that dip in the percentages. That kind of tests you a little bit.”
Bertans, one of the only reliable 3-point shooters for the Wizards last season, will now be flanked by a host of new shooters, including first-round pick Corey Kispert and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who shot 41 percent from 3-point range last season.
And since a few of those new additions were added through trade, Bertans is hopeful that they’ll be properly motivated. After all, he knows what it’s like to be traded, and as he said, given up on a little bit.
With new coach Wes Unseld Jr., Bertans has a clean slate and healthy body to get ready for the season.
“Talked to [Unseld] briefly, just being around him during the practice, him just having us in,” Bertans said of his new coach. “He asked most people to come in as early as possible so we can get used to the coaches. He’s asking for ball movement, which I think is a great thing in basketball.”
When asked if he was in the best shape of his career, Bertans added it was certainly the most he’s worked on his body in one offseason. Now, he’ll get the chance to prove it.
