Hachimura shines, but Knicks top Wizards to close preseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Wizards lost to the New York Knicks 105-89 in their preseason finale on Friday night. Here are five takeaways from what went down…
Regular season on deck
The Wizards went through their final dress rehearsal before the regular season at Madison Square Garden and looked like a team still knocking off some rust. They had a dreadful start, going down 23-5 in the first quarter, before battling back to make it close. They also got torched to open the second half, as the Knicks went on a 16-2 run.
There were some good stretches along the way, but those two lulls were enough to dig too deep of a hole for the Wizards to climb out of. They lost to New York, to close the preseason 1-3, while shooting just 37.9% from the field.
More noteworthy than the score was the fact Will Barton started at small forward, alongside Monte Morris and Bradley Beal in the backcourt and Kyle Kuzma and Daniel Gafford in the frontcourt. Kristaps Porzingis sat out due to his left ankle injury, evidently as a precaution.
Not that head coach Wes Unseld Jr. had a full cupboard to choose from, but Barton starting over Rui Hachimura seemed like another indication that may be his role to begin the season. Unless they vault Deni Avdija in there after not playing in the preseason, or go in a surprising direction, the safe bet remains that Barton will start at small forward.
Rui shines
If Hachimura comes off the bench, it will not be because he didn’t perform well enough to win the job, as he closed the preseason in strong fashion on Friday night. He was the Wizards’ best offensive player and was the key cog in their first half comeback, dropping 15 points by halftime. Hachimura finished the game with 20 points, shooting 7-for-14 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. He also had eight rebounds.
Hachimura was especially assertive attacking the rim, which is always a stated goal of his. But there is reason to believe he can sustain that approach this year more than he has in the past. He’s clearly stronger and more confident handling the ball.
When I interviewed Frank Ross, the Wizards’ vice president of college personnel, he mentioned exactly that when discussing Hachimura’s development past offseason. He said Hachimura has added strength and that is allowing him to stay on his path to the rim, when in previous years he would be bumped by defenders and choose to pass or shoot a jumper.
Hachimura was so hot on Friday he was drawing double teams and on one was triple-teamed. He may not start for the Wizards, but he’s shaping up to be one of their most important players. Only time will tell just how much he’s actually improved, but it looks like he’s taken at least one proverbial step forward.
Davis’ preseason
It was another lackluster shooting night for Wizards rookie Johnny Davis, who went 0-for-5 overall, 0-for-4 from three and finished with zero points. He did have five rebounds, but the offensive struggles have been a theme for him going back to the Summer League. While the sample size is still small, it doesn’t seem likely he will be a reliable scoring option early on this season. He shot just 2-for-21 in the preseason.
Davis, though, continues to shine as a rebounder and Unseld Jr. said this week he believes the rookie is “ahead of the curve” defensively, especially when it comes to defending on the ball. Whether that means Unseld Jr. will trust him enough for rotation minutes anytime soon remains to be seen.
Robinson was a problem
The Wizards were missing Porzingis, their biggest player, and the remaining bigs had no answer for Knicks center Mitchell Robinson. Gafford had trouble matching his strength, while Taj Gibson had difficulty with his speed. Robinson had 20 points and 12 rebounds, nine of them on the offensive end. He continually evaded the Wizards for offensive boards to create second chances for his teammates.
Robinson also forced the Wizards to pass up some relatively open looks around the rim as the game went on. The mere threat of his shot-blocking seemed to deter the Wizards from even trying to float the ball over him. Mitchell is a tremendous player and one the Wizards have long struggled against. But the fact Porzingis wasn’t playing does seem relevant. Maybe they will have more success next time, if he’s in the lineup.
Injury updates
Porzingis missed this game, as did Deni Avdija (groin strain), Corey Kispert (ankle) and Vernon Carey Jr. (concussion). According to Ava Wallace of the Washington Post who was in New York, Avdija is expected to play in the season opener on Wednesday in Indiana. Porzingis, on the other hand, is slightly less certain, though it sounds like he will play as well.
The Avdija thing is interesting. He hasn’t played in the preseason at all, and we now know his injury was pretty serious at its nadir, but he also had a great offseason overall. And he looked excellent the other day in a 3-on-3 scrimmage against some of his teammates, albeit guys who are likely to be playing for the Go-Go.
Avdija looked quick, strong and in control as he attacked the rim guarded by Isaiah Todd. He also made some tough finishes through contact from Todd, who is very athletic and has noticeably bulked up from last season. If Avdija is indeed healthy and caught up conditioning-wise, he could make a sizeable impact right away.
