The Wizards are content to continue developing their young talent and laying the groundwork for a successful future, Varun Shankar of The Washington Post writes.
“It’s process over outcomes,” head coach Brian Keefe said on Monday. “I’m a competitor. I want to win, but I want to go into the stuff that gets us to win. … How we prepare, how we handle practices, how we handle shootarounds, how we handle film sessions. Those are the things that’s going to build us to be a sustainable winner.”
Washington had a busy offseason, adding veterans like Jonas Valanciunas, Malcolm Brogdon and Saddiq Bey while drafting Alex Sarr, Carlton Carrington and Kyshawn George.
Although the Wizards are expected to be toward the bottom of the league’s hierarchy again, Keefe helped turn the team around midway through the year. They went just 8-31 under him, but they went from being dead last in the league in clutch games played to first during that stretch.
“We’re not giving up, okay? We’re going to lose some games … but we’re not going to lose games [where we] give up end of the third, halftime. [We’re going to] fight till the end, no matter what, up or down,” Valanciunas said.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Wizards veterans are happy that Valanciunas made the decision to join the team in free agency, Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network writes in a subscriber-only story. The 32-year-old Valanciunas has been in the league since he was 20 and holds career averages of 13.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
- The Hawks announced a series of front office promotions and hires in a press release, including Daniel Starkman being elevated to vice president of player personnel. In addition, Jay Rodriguez was hired as pro personnel coordinator, Miles Simon and Bubba Burrage were hired as pro scouts and Nick Restifo as director of basketball research. Ben Peterson, Ryan Donahue, Ryan Brooks, Paddy Hogben and John Dusel were among the other additions/promotions. Starkman previously served as the general manager of the team’s G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks.
- Atlanta added some size on the wings while getting a bit younger, Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes in a piece recapping the team’s media day. No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels figure to factor into the rotation while the Hawks also added Larry Nance Jr. Meanwhile, Onyeka Okongwu, Kobe Bufkin, Mouhamed Gueye and Seth Lundy all received positive injury updates. Lastly, Williams writes the Hawks are still considering whether Cody Zeller will make the roster.
- The Heat have a roster full of players out to prove doubters wrong, Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel writes. “No matter what it is, we’re going to find a way to make us have a chip on our shoulder,” Jaime Jaquez said. “I think even going in, I think it’s seven national TV games for the Miami Heat. That’s what the NBA thinks of us. And that’s OK, because i guarantee that they’re going to still be talking about us when the season goes on and we play our season.“