WASHINGTON — Wizards training camp looks different this year.
That’s partly because of new faces like Trae Young and Anthony Davis. It’s also because the Wizards are no longer tanking, which has introduced winning expectations to a team destined for the draft lottery before each of the last three seasons began.
Washington opened its five-day training camp on Tuesday at CareFirst Arena. The team’s 21-player roster is listed below:
Brian Keefe must make several difficult decisions regarding his starting lineup and rotation. Only nine or 10 players will make his opening-night rotation on a team with 13 realistic options.
The 50-year-old coach said he’ll use training camp and preseason to determine those roles. Tuesday’s practice was a good start.
“It was a big defensive focus today,” Keefe said. “The intensity level, the communication, I was really pleased with … Our guys were ready to get going.”
Making those difficult decisions is easier when your team has no egos, as Bub Carrington described this year’s Wizards.
Keefe appreciates that element of the culture he, Will Dawkins and Michael Winger have built in Washington.
“We’ve got great guys, high character people. They want to get better, and they support each other,” Keefe said. “I think that’s one of the things that goes underrated in this league is that they want to celebrate each other’s successes. That’s something we believe in here, and they always have done that since I’ve been, and they’re going to continue to.”
Keefe said Washington’s veterans will “accelerate the growth” of the team’s young core. He named Young’s decision making and Davis’ ability to anchor a defense as reasons they will mesh well with younger players.
Carrington said everyone in the organization understands where the team has been. But more importantly, there’s a collective belief in where they’re going and how good they can become.
"We have no egos on this team. We're competitive. Before anything else, we're trying to win,” Carrington said. “Whatever we gotta do — If I have to shoot two less shots or play more defense to win this game — say no more. Everybody's gonna do that."
Injury updates
Keefe said Alex Sarr, who’s progressing from June surgery that repaired his fractured right foot, was a partial participant in Tuesday’s practice. Sarr said Monday that he expects to be a full participant next week.
Tristan Vukcevic (hip) and Khris Middleton were also partial participants. Keefe didn’t specify Middleton’s injury (He wasn’t hiding anything. He said this at the end of his media session, and there were no follow-up questions about specifics).
Jamir Watkins, who underwent surgery in July to repair a torn ACL, was the lone non-participant.
A defensive focus
It was all defense in Washington’s first training-camp practice. In fact, it was all they worked on. And for good reason.
The Wizards ranked dead last in the NBA in defensive rating (121.5) last season. Bub Carrington, whose 125.7 defensive rating ranked dead last in the league, didn’t hide from that fact. He said the team understands winning starts on the defensive end.
“We have to get better at everything. We were last in the league in defense last year, which means we were bad all around. The goal is to be better. That means disruptions, deflections, rim pressure. Everything. Every aspect of defense we’re trying to get better at.”
Trae Young is known as one of the league’s best offensive talents. He also said at his exit interview in April that his biggest offseason goal was to not be viewed as the team’s defensive weak link.
Washington’s star point guard agreed with Carrington’s assessment that defense is mostly about effort. And Young said he will provide that effort. But on a team filled with 6-foot-9 defensive stoppers and multiple rim protectors, he’s okay with outsiders calling him the team’s defensive weak link.
“Defense is about effort and energy. You’ve got to have the physical tools, too. And I’m not one of the guys that stands out, not being one of those 6-foot-9 guys,” Young said. “But I’m able to play in this league because something special on the other end. I’m probably gonna be the weak link defensively, but I can still give effort and make it challenging for the guy I guard.”
Bonus notes
Will Riley did some extra strength and conditioning after practice, running full-court sprints while attached to a resistance band. The second-year wing said he’s added 15 pounds since the start of the offseason to become a more versatile defender.
Young praised AJ Dybantsa’s first official practice. The duo will make up a large portion of Washington’s scoring production this season.
“He was great. He’s a really good No. 1 pick for sure,” Young said.
We’ll know pretty early on if a new defensive mindset is taking hold, or the laissez-faire model continues to dominate. The key will be whether Keefe holds players accountable - if Bub dies on screens continually, will he hit the bench?
What’ll happen to Trae Young if he acts allergic to defense? That will be even more telling; will Keefe enforce the defensive dictate to everyone, even celebrated vets? The youngsters, you can be sure, will be watching to see if there’s a two-tiered system of accountability in place.