The Wizards, with two new players aboard, finally return to play Sunday
The Wizards were so short on bodies and so out of rhythm ahead of Sunday’s game at San Antonio, which will be their first since a win over Phoenix on Jan. 11, it felt as if they bypassed preseason and went all the way back to high school.
“It’s funny, talking to [center Robin Lopez] before practice . . . he said, ‘Coach, you remember your high school playing days?’ First of all, that was, like, a long time ago,” Scott Brooks said on a teleconference Thursday. “But he says, ‘It’s like October, early in your practice, and you’re waiting for the football team to finish up so you get an extra three or four guys.’ He said that’s how practice felt yesterday. . . . That’s exactly how I felt.”
Although Westbrook (left quadriceps) and backup point guard Raul Neto (groin) are questionable for Sunday’s game, Washington finally got some relief in the frontcourt Saturday.
The team welcomed to practice former Maryland center Alex Len, signed on a one-year deal, and forward Jordan Bell, signed on a 10-day contract. Bell, a 6-foot-8 big who played 14 minutes per game with the 2017-18 Warriors and bopped around Toronto, Minnesota and Memphis last season, was initially one of the four players the Wizards planned to send to the G League bubble this year.
With starting wing Deni Avdija, starting forward Rui Hachimura, forward Davis Bertans, guard Troy Brown, guard Ish Smith and center Moritz Wagner tied up in the league’s coronavirus protocols, the Wizards (3-8) were in desperate need of big men.
Len, 27, and Bell, 26, will get opportunities to play against the Spurs (8-8) on Sunday, though Brooks framed the first game back as just that — dipping a toe back into the water. Asked whether they will be able to progress on defense or employ any of the offensive shifts the coaching staff enacted before the layoff, Brooks said he simply expects his team to give its best effort after it missed six consecutive games.
“I hope we can pick up where we left off,” Brooks said Saturday.
Brooks and Westbrook are optimistic the new additions will be able to make an impact right away, especially with the 7-foot Len backing up Lopez at center.
The former Terp also will have opportunities to prove himself to the team in the long term. The Wizards lost starter Thomas Bryant for the season after he partially tore his left ACL this month.
“[Len] gives us good experience. He gives us length, defensive protection, a good shooter, good free throw shooter, knows how to play and he’s at a good age,” Brooks said. “ . . . I’ve always liked his game from afar, but it’s good to have him here. You don’t realize how big and agile he is.”
“It’s a great opportunity moving forward,” Len said Saturday. “Great fit, gives me a chance to play with Russ and Bradley [Beal], two all-star players. I think it’s a great opportunity to turn things around and make a push for the playoffs.”
Brooks doesn’t have a timeline for when the rest of Washington’s players will return. The Wizards’ six players who tested positive won’t come back all at once.
Players who have tested positive must isolate for at least 10 days or return two negative tests at least 24 hours apart to come out of isolation. After that, the NBA mandates a 48-hour observation period in which players can participate in individual workouts while wearing a mask. After that, they must undergo cardiac screening to be cleared to play. Then the work of getting back in shape begins.
The team is also being patient with Westbrook, who injured his quadricep in training camp in December. Brooks said the point guard has been participating in portions of practice, “progressing every day,” but a huge determinant for returning is how he feels after a heavy day of work. The Wizards haven’t been able to do much of that in practice lately.
“He came back great today, feeling pretty good,” Brooks said. “Today was a light day for everybody. Just going to continue to monitor how he feels the next day. If he feels great, then we can make some decisions then. If he doesn’t, we can always wait another game or two or three.”
One thing Westbrook has been able to do is run. The only silver lining to eight days off meant Westbrook had a chance to rest his leg and the finger he dislocated this month. The focus now, as with the rest of the team, is rebuilding fitness — which is why the team opted to do extra conditioning drills at the end of practice Friday.
The team went old-school, fittingly, running a drill called 17s in which players sprint from sideline to sideline 17 times in under a minute. Coaches participated as well.
“This is probably the first time — I don’t ever remember doing it as a coach,” Brooks said. “ … Good thing I count by threes.”
