Washington Wizards: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 Media Day

5. Adjusting to life without Markieff Morris early on

One of the big topics was the status of big man Markieff Morris as the beginning of the 2017-18 season approaches. Head coach Scott Brooks addressed Morris’ status for the season, stating he’s out for least 6-8 weeks, but the Wizards have a “next-man-up” mentality.

Kelly Oubre Jr., Jason Smith and newcomer Mike Scott will be looked upon to fill the void while he’s out. It’s an interesting position for these three guys. Oubre Jr. is entering an interesting position contract-wise as the team holds an option for his 2018-19 season.

Scott, on a veteran’s minimum, is the biggest wildcard. He’s a solid big who can run the floor and shoot the mid-range and 3-ball at a reasonable rate. He averaged just 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game for the Atlanta Hawks last season, but his production is certain to go up with more usage in 2017-18.

Smith is another solid option, whether starting or off the bench. He averaged 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game last season. In three starts in 2016-17, he put up 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Oubre Jr. is the biggest factor though, as he’ll be looked upon to have a breakout year.