Marcin Gortat didn’t hold back when addressing the issues within the Washington Wizards. His comments may have been harsh, but also true.
Society is ironic, particularly sports and entertainment. The majority of professional athletes are trained in how to respond in the politically correct way to members of the media so they can avoid any negativity to themselves or the organization they play for.
The funny thing is, when an athlete or coach speaks on how they truly feel about a situation, they’re scolded for being too harsh or that their comments can be the first step in the destruction of the team.
So the same people who whine about athletes giving boring answers will criticize them when they speak their mind.
One player who has never minded speaking exactly what is on his mind is Washington Wizards‘ center Marcin Gortat. The Wizards recently lost to the Chicago Bulls to bring their record to 2-6. Much of the struggles have been due to the lack of production from the bench.
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Washington’s bench currently ranks dead last in the NBA, averaging 25.3 points per game. To give some perspective on that number, the league-leading Los Angeles Lakers reserves are averaging 51.2 per game.
When Gortat was addressing the media postgame, he didn’t hold back in letting his feelings be known about the second unit:
"“What can we do? Well, we’ve got to play better. We’ve got to compete,” Gortat said. “We need energy. We need effort. We’ve got to make shots. I think there’s a lot of things we can do better. I think right now, as far as I know, I think we’ve got one of the worst benches in the league right now.”"
The reasons for the lack of production can be credited to a slew of new players, a few being young and inexperienced.
The Wizards spent a ton of money this offseason on their bench rotation after striking out on any of the big-named free agents. Ian Mahinmi signed a four-year $64 million contract to become the anchor defensively that this team has desperately needed.
Mahinmi has yet to appear in a regular season game after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He continues to make strides during recovery, but will likely miss another couple of weeks.
Andrew Nicholson signed a four-year, $26 million deal with the Wizards and while he seemed to start off on the right foot, he has played just 31 minutes in the last seven games. Head coach Scott Brooks has chosen to play Jason Smith (three years and $15.6 million) over Nicholson.
In nine games played, Smith has a minus-3.09 PER. I think that does enough to explain his overall production.
Going off numbers, seven-year NBA veteran Marcus Thornton has been the most productive player coming off the bench, averaging 7.7 points per game. Thornton has always been a player who takes a high volume of shots that aren’t within the flow of the offense.
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It’s been the same story this season. He’s shooting just 34.2 percent. The problem is, Thornton doesn’t let the misses go to his head. He just continues to shoot and often his bad shots lead to transition baskets for the opposition.
The young players, such as Tomas Satoransky, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Sheldon McClellan, have all shown signs that they can eventually be valuable options off the bench for Brooks. But their development will continue to be a game-by-game basis.
Trey Burke was acquired via trade for a 2021 second-round draft pick. After a rough first couple of games, Burke is beginning to find his place within the offense.
In the last three games, he is averaging 11 points per game, a much better number than the 2.5 points per game he averaged throughout the first six games.
Despite a few bright spots along the way, Gortat’s statement wasn’t false. It’s clear that the Wizards’ bench rotation is one of the worst in the league. Now should he have said that to the media? No, but any player would be frustrated after a 2-6 start with an obvious weak link.
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The starters have carried their weight. They rank eighth in the NBA, scoring 74.6 points per game. Even if they can just get a little more production from the reserves, the Wizards could easily turn their disappointing season into a successful one.