Meanwhile, The Wizards
The Washington Wizards pose in front of Tokyo Tower | Photo from @WashWizards on Twitter
Sometimes the NBA feels like a sitcom, with each team as an individual character.
Last season wrapped up the championship plot line for Golden State but left cliffhangers for Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Brooklyn. All four of these teams (the Warriors, Lakers, Suns, and Nets) will continue to be main characters in the 2022-23 NBA season, alongside Boston and Milwaukee, with each character motivated by the desire to become the NBA champion.
This season’s media day, something of a pilot episode or preview of the NBA season, started with the usual drama from some of the league’s main characters and prompted a lot of questions for the analogous and real forthcoming season. For example, how will the Phoenix Suns bounce back from their conference semifinals exit last season? Especially since center DeAndre Ayton is reportedly not speaking to head coach Monty Williams.
Can the Los Angeles Lakers work together even though Russell Westbrook is clearly an odd man out? The main character (and villain) energy is going to be strong this season. That much, I know.
Every good sitcom has a few beloved side characters (not every team is going to be a top competitor or a protagonist for the sake of this analogy!) who usually end up becoming fan favorites just by being themselves. All of that said, let’s check in with the Washington Wizards, who represent the side character endearingly doing their own thing on the other side of the room.
Washington’s preseason activities are currently underway. From media day to training camp to clips published on the team’s Twitter page, there’s no shortage of wholesome moments and quotes to talk about.
Here are a couple of my favorites and what they signify for the team’s future:
Both sophomore Corey Kispert and veteran Taj Gibson feel the love at training camp. There’s always an adjustment period that comes with starting a new job, but training camp is a good time to see how teammates can get along and what the job will be like. For Kispert and Gibson, there’s no shortness of a positive work atmosphere in Washington.
The team is happy to be “competing,” per Kispert’s training camp interview, but Gibson also says that the team’s positive energy is influencing him.
“They’re teaching me to smile again. Lately, I’ve just been smiling,” says the veteran center, invigorated by the energy and desire to compete that the team’s young core brings.
Everyone had a good answer to the question, but the award for best answer goes to Kristaps Porzingis. When asked what he couldn’t go without on the team’s flight to Japan, Porzingis simply said, “my teammates.”
Not only is that an objectively correct statement because the entire team needs to be present for a team flight, but it’s also just a very sweet comment. His answer doesn’t seem fake or forced either, and neither does the clip that the Wizards posted to social media a day later, when players were asked who they did and didn’t want to sit with on the flight.
Avdija mentioning that he doesn’t plan on sleeping during the flight, combined with his lack of surprise that most of his team wouldn’t want to sit with him for the sake of their own sleep, is just funny. It also suggests that the team has bonded after a few seasons of experience traveling with one another.
If there’s one big takeaway from this content, it’s that this is a team that likes spending time together on and off the court. A team with a strong bond should hopefully translate to meaningful on-court performances and a team that’s impossible to dislike.
I think their energy is contagious. Even if that doesn’t translate directly to a good record, I think it’ll be a fun season for players and fans alike.
