He played solid defense on several starting NBA point guards during his run from January to March. The glimpses Satoransky showed when he was at his best this past season make him an intriguing player to watch this upcoming year. So far through two years in his NBA career, Satoransky has remained much more comfortable at point guard, his natural position, and with the ball in his hands. Satoransky has been tried at shooting guard and small forward, to varying degrees of success. Head coach Scott Brooks and team president Ernie Grunfeld have consistently praised Satoransky publicly, but have also expressed a desire for him to develop at other positions. Their signings of Ty Lawson and Ramon Sessions suggest that though Satoransky showed promise, they wanted to see more from the second-round pick before fully buying in. There were times where it looked like Satoransky was emerging as a legitimate NBA rotation player, yet the coaches and the front office clearly thought otherwise. He began the year as the third point guard, took the second point guard spot from Tim Frazier, then served as the replacement starter for John Wall when he was recovering from surgery.īut by the end of the year, he essentially lost the backup point guard job as the Wizards signed several veterans off the street. That recipe could bring out the best of them.Off The Bench: What Will Dawkins looks for when picking prospectsĢ017-18 stats: 73 G, 22.5 mpg, 7.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.9 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.2 bpg, 52.3 FG%, 46.5 3P%, 78.1 FT%, 58.5 eFG%, 124 ORtg, 111 DRtgĢ018-19 storyline: No player on the Wizards saw a wider range of roles quite like Tomas Satoransky did in the 2017-18 season.
#2018 WASHINGTON WIZARDS ROSTER FREE#
That may be difficult, but they are veterans with a lot to gain as they stare down free agency. They will have to prove to the coaching staff they are worth larger roles. Meeks and Smith are in position to be casualties of the Wizards' newfound depth, but that is just on paper. This past season those numbers dipped to a 39.1 field goal percentage and a 12.5 three-point percentage, the former setting a career-low. When he was at his best the season before and when he played 74 games and emerged as a fan favorite, Smith was setting career-highs with his efficiency. What was difficult for Smith last season was the fact he wasn't afforded the playing time to develop a shooting rhythm. He figures to be no higher on the depth chart at the beginning of this season as, though Mike Scott left, they replaced him with Jeff Green as the backup power forward. He was healthy, yet only played in 33 games, racking up a lot of DNP-CDs. He pretty much has to hit threes at a high percentage to force the issue.įor Smith, the opportunities just weren't there last year.
#2018 WASHINGTON WIZARDS ROSTER CRACK#
Barring injury, it won't be easy for Meeks to crack the rotation. The Wizards went out and traded for Austin Rivers, who will take over as the primary backup shooting guard. The problem for him is that the opportunity that was there last season, won't be there in this one. Meeks will be motivated to right his wrongs and make the most of his final year in Washington. Unfortunately, he didn't get the minutes to really make an impact there and failed to reach the line enough to put his elite free throw percentage to proper use. He's not a great defender or passer, but is a decent rebounder. If Meeks isn't scoring, the other shortcomings in his game become magnified. Instead, he averaged his fewest points since his rookie year, and shot just 39.9 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three down from his 41.8 and 37.2 career averages. Meeks was supposed to be the answer at backup shooting guard as a consistent scorer off the bench. Although Meeks was able to shed the injury-prone label by appearing in 77 games, his numbers dipped pretty much across the board. He joined the Wizards as a free agent last summer with questions about his health, as he only played 39 total games in his previous two years. They are both also aiming to rebound from down years that sunk their stock as NBA players.įirst, let's look at Meeks. But beyond that fact, the two are in similar boats.īoth Meeks and Smith are in their early thirties, exercised player options to remain with the team and are one year away from free agency. There is one major difference, in that Meeks is due to serve a 19-game suspension to begin the year. Off The Bench: What Will Dawkins looks for when picking prospectsĢ017-18 stats: 33 G, 8.6 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.1 spg, 0.4 bpg, 39.1 FG%, 12.5 3P%, 90.5 FT%, 40.9 eFG%, 93 ORtg, 110 DRtgĢ018-19 storyline: The Wizards have two players on their bench in Jodie Meeks and Jason Smith that have some parallels as they enter the 2018-19 season.
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