Over the summer the Washington Wizards finally initiated a long-awaited rebuild. The organization cleaned out the front office and the team’s roster in equal measure. While participating in some of the blockbuster trades that shook up the balance of the NBA, the Wizards dealt away longtime star Bradley Beal. They found themselves in possession of another talented combo guard, the fluid and dynamic Jordan Poole. Poole will join returning Wizards star Kyle Kuzma, who is coming off a breakout year. The two should form one of the most exciting pairings in the Eastern Conference. Here is a preview of the Wizard’s star duo, based on everything we’ve heard from Media Day.
Previewing the Wizard’s New Dynamic Duo After Media Day
Previewing Kuzma and Poole’s roles in the Clubhouse
This year the Wizards will begin the season with only 7 players on their roster who played meaningful minutes for the team last year. Taking the overhaul of the roster into account, there is a need for stability within the team. For this reason, the buzzword that permeated Media Day was “leadership”. In particular, there seemed to be an understanding that the leaders of this team were Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole. There are a number of factors that this may stem from. The duo brings a championship pedigree to the team. Furthermore, both have shown they can produce for long stretches.
However, while speaking with reporters for Monumental Sports, Wizard’s general manager Will Dawkins instead emphasized the work off the court that the duo has put in this offseason to begin gelling with the team. According to Dawkins, Kuzma and Poole have been active in gathering the team over the summer for meetups outside of team workouts. The two have also been leading training at the team’s practice facility since September 5th, a positive sign that Kuzma emphasized as being out of the ordinary for most organizations.
How They Want to Improve the Culture?
Kuzma and Poole are still both young players, at 28 years old and 24 years old respectively, and this shines through when asked about how they are aiming to create a team culture. Both have taken a laidback approach off the court. Kuzma says he was aiming to avoid “overloading” the new additions to the squad as they settled into unfamiliar surroundings. Poole echoed this, stating that his focus while meeting new teammates was learning about “who they are as people”. The emphasis seems to be on developing chemistry beyond the court, and then reaping the benefits while on it. Both players also referenced that they want to foster an air of competitiveness within the team. Early reports from the organization confirm this and suggest a level of fire is already permeating through team workouts.
Previewing the Wizards Star Duo on Court
It is reassuring that what we heard about the Wizard’s star duo at Media Day was a cohesive message from all levels of the organization. However, the ultimate measure of success remains what happens during games. In the same slate of Media Day interviews, Will Dawkins, and coach Wes Unseld Jr. were forthcoming about what they will look for on the court this season. For starters, Dawkins confirmed that a considerable amount of touches will operate through the tandem. He noted that what comes with that is a responsibility to be efficient with the ball in their hands. Poole and Kuzma have both shown that on any given night they can carry the scoring load. However, consistency is an area where both will be looking to make strides this season.
Speaking to Monumental Sports, Unseld Jr. offered some more concrete thoughts as to how the team will function this season. “We want to modernize our style,” said Unseld Jr. The coach highlighted, playing quicker on the break, shooting more from behind the 3-point line, and adopting “positionless basketball.” These stylistic tweaks would benefit Kuzma and Poole. Both are gifted athletes who excel when the pace of the game is rampant. They are also both volume shooters from long range.
If Unseld Jr. can make these changes stick he will get the most out of the team’s star tandem. His squad would also be a far cry from the Wizards of last season, who ranked 19th in the league for pace and 22nd in the association for offensive rating. There will be growing pains for the Wizards this season, and a need for patience from fans. Without a doubt though, there remain reasons for optimism, especially when it concerns the team’s star players.
