Wizards’ Brooks: ‘We have to see what we have at a lot of different positions’

The effort was there; the energy was there, but unfortunately, the talent is not there for the Washington Wizards. On Monday, Washington cut a 22-point 4th quarter deficit to seven but would lose to the Pacers 111-100. With the loss, the Wizards(24-43) fall to 0-3 in Orlando.

Fresh off a 53-point performance against the 76ers on Saturday, T.J. Warren had another strong game for Indiana. Warren had a game-high 34 points, and 11 rebounds, and Malcolm Brogdon added 20 points. For Washington, Thomas Bryant poured in 20 points and 11 rebounds. After Washington cut Indiana’s lead to two in the third quarter, the Pacers went on a 22-2 run to close the quarter and take complete control of the game. 

At this point, it’s about developing players for the Wizards, and for a good part of the fourth quarter, we saw Troy Brown Jr. at point guard, a position he played in high school. Brown had some nice moments at the point, including a great pass to Thomas Bryant that led to a dunk.

 

TB x TB Special! pic.twitter.com/4T7OOLmuBU

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) August 3, 2020

 

“For me, it felt natural,” Brown, who finished with 10 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, said after the game about getting time at point guard. “Today, I had more turnovers than I wanted to, but at the end of the day, I feel comfortable calling the offenses, bringing the ball up, and just initiating the offense and kind of getting us into a flow.”

After the game, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks hinted at the 21-year-old Brown getting more minutes at the point guard position.

“We have to see what we have at a lot of different positions,” Brooks said. “These are great minutes. We’re not just giving minutes to give them. Players gotta earn them, and if you’re not playing well, we’re going to throw other guys in there. That’s why we are here. 

“We are here to get better; we’re here to improve, and there might be another game where Troy(Brown) maybe starts at the point. You never know; we just have to be ready. We want to continue to build him as a multiple position player. If you want to call him a positionless player, that’s even better, but I think he has to be ready to play all spots.”

The next five games should interesting for the Wizards in terms of development. This is now the time to start experimenting. Brown at the point is a good start, and if he flourishes at that spot, maybe he’ll get some backup point guard minutes next season, or at times, Brown could get minutes at the point, which could free up John Wall.

Young players grow by playing, and the Wizards will continue to have that opportunity the rest of the way.

Notes:

-After struggling earlier in the game with his shot, Washington’s Jerome Robinson got hot in the fourth quarter. Robinson scored 16 of his 17 points in the quarter, which got the Wizards back into the game.

-The Wizards are 7.5 games behind the Nets for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Washington must be within four games of the 8th-seeded team to force a play-in game. 

-Rui Hachimura did not have a big scoring game( 9 points) on Monday, but he did have seven rebounds and a career-high six assists, and his coach was happy with his performance

Brooks on Hachimura:

“I thought he had a great game. He rebounded, he passed.”

-Washington returns to action on Wednesday against Philadelphia.