(Photo: Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images and Washington Wizards)
Washington Wizards 126
Guangzhou Long Lions 96
October 2, 2017 – Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
The end result of preseason games in all sports is meaningless, but there is certainly information to be gained by watching the players interact and execute. On Monday evening in front of a scarce crowd, the Washington Wizards beat Tyler Hansbrough's CBA team in a non-competitive contest by a final score of 126-96. John Wall was given the night off and Bradley Beal played less than eight minutes, but that gave others the chance to show off their game.
Jodie Meeks, when healthy, looks like a gem
Technically the Wizards largest new free agent signing, the 30-year old showed his high potential. The veteran scored 19 points in 16 minutes, all in the first half, on an efficient 7 of 9 shooting including 4 of 5 from the three-point line. If Washington is able to keep the Kentucky product healthy throughout the season and he is able to be a consistent scoring threat off the bench, then Meeks will be well worth the $3.29 million cap hit this season.
“He gives us a knock-down shooter off the bench,” head coach Scott Brooks said after the game. “He’s a 40 percent three-point shooter… Plus 40 percent three-point shooter the way he shoots. With our playmaking guards I think he can get a lot of open shots. That’s why we brought him in and it showed tonight. He does a good job of moving without the basketball. He’s a veteran player. He just kind of knows where to be. When John [Wall] is with him, John is going to find him a lot of shots [and] Brad [Beal] can find him a lot of shots tonight. He did a good job of moving without the ball and getting open.”
“I feel great. I just tried to come in and knock down shots,” a humble Meeks explained. “Fortunately, the first one went in so my confidence kept going from there.”
“It’s great. This guy makes the court bigger,” Tomas Satoransky said about playing with Meeks. “He’s obviously a great shooter and he showed it today. It’s much easier to play with a shooter like that because the defense cannot help from him. We saw a couple of times today that when he drives, you can find him because he spaces well to the corner. It’s great to have a type of player like that who like Scott Brooks said the other day can hit four three pointers in a quarter because he can get hot. I think it’s something we need and improved from last year.”
Little clarity provided at the power forward position
Starting power forward Markieff Morris will miss at least double-digit regular season games after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia on September 22. Moreover, Morris is still in Phoenix as of Monday where he is on trial for two counts of aggravated assault. With the vacancy of his absence, the Wizards will have to settle on a temporary starter from their many options.
Tonight, Jason Smith started and finished the game with 12 points in 16 minutes on 5 of 9 shooting despite 1 of 4 shooting from beyond the arc. He also collected five rebounds and five personal fouls. Outside of the box score, Smith provided his usual energy boost when on the court.
Another potential candidate to start in Morris’ absence is Mike Scott, but he did not see playing time until the second half with many of the deep reserves. Scott finished with 6 points on 3 of 7 shooting, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 12 minutes. Brooks said that Scott is healthy despite resting during the team’s open practice in Richmond last Friday. Scott has been practicing in scrimmages with the team at full speed so maybe Brooks was experimenting heavily with the lineups.
Brooks said pregame that he would like to have the starter pinned down potential by the fourth preseason game, but certainly by the last and fifth preseason game next Friday.
Tomas Satoransky proves worth in rare opportunity
With Wall (rest) given the night off and primary backup point guard Tim Frazier (left Grade 1 groin strain) sidelined, and unlikely to practice on Tuesday, the second-year player was given the opportunity to start against the Lions. Satoransky finished with 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting including 1 of 2 from three, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds in nearly 25 minutes of play. Satoransky’s minutes during the regular season may come on the wing because of his 6-foot-7 height, but he has started to show promise as an NBA point guard as well.
“I thought he did a good job of getting us into our offense,” Brooks said. “He was moving the basketball [and] he competes. The one thing that I love about Tomas is that he plays hard. He tries to make the right plays; he has improved his outside shot. He’s athletic, he’s long and athletic. I thought he did a good job of getting us into our offense and finding some plays for our guys.”
“It is much easier,” Satoransky compared last season to now. “I saw it already in training camp. Nothing new for me. I know the system. I know what coach wants offensively and defensively. So, yeah, much easier for me to run the offenses and knowing the guys, knowing their tendencies, helps me do that. Of course, that was a different team than we are going to face in the upcoming preseason games, a different kind of team, but it was a good start for us.”
Next Up
Washington plans to practice Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday before their second preseason game on Friday against New York from Capital One Arena.