National Basketball Association

Washington Wizards' Tomas Satoransky Hopes To Play Multiple Positions In NBA

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Washington Wizards guard Tomas Satoransky played mostly point guard in his first game, but hopes to play multiple positions going forward.

On Tuesday night, the Washington Wizards began preseason by getting manhandled by the Miami Heat, who have lost both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh this off-season.

Without John Wall and Ian Mahinmi, the Wizards were also shorthanded, but no one expected a Heat team that was scrapped together during the latter half of free agency to dominate the way they did.

Washington’s defense, in particular, was just as bad as it was last year.

Marcin Gortat typically struggles against long, athletic big men and not much changed against the Heat. Hassan Whiteside dropped 20 points and 13 rebounds in just 23 minutes.

The entire night was disastrous for the Wizards, who only got noteworthy production from two starters.

Tomas Satoransky, though, was one of the lone bright spots for Scott Brooks.

Having played professional basketball overseas at a high level with Barcelona, the 24-year-old is unlike most rookies coming into the league. Really, the only reason why Satoransky still carries that label is because it’s his first year in the NBA. Other than that, Satoransky doesn’t possess any rookie characteristics.

He displayed superb patience, both in transition and in the half-court. Satoransky set his teammates up, finding Marcin Gortat for a perfectly executed pick-and-roll that was finished with a dunk.

Satoransky ended the game with 8 points and 6 assists, but his impact went far beyond the box score.

At times, it seemed like he was the only competent defender on the roster. He’s learned how to utilize his wingspan by effectively stopping players from getting to the basket – a skill that some players on the team still haven’t processed.

Losing Ramon Sessions is going to hurt the team’s scoring, but it’s apparent that Washington got a much more versatile player in return.

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Scott Brooks was able to use Satoransky at the point guard, shooting guard and small forward positions against the Heat.

“I don’t know. I think I can play both. Mostly the point guard but it different than in Europe,” Satoransky said after the game.

“Guys are much faster here in the position. Today I felt good at point, let’s see how it develops in the preseason. I hope play minutes at both.”

Surprisingly, Satoransky didn’t have trouble getting the ball up the court.

Smaller guards tend to disrupt length by getting into the offensive player’s space, not allowing them to push the ball up the court.

Briante Weber stuck right next to Satoransky, but never really impeded him from driving or finding the open man.

Unlike the previous coach, Brooks is keen on trying different lineups, even if they’re unorthodox.

We saw Markieff Morris play center along side Andrew Nicholson last night. Trey Burke, who looked solid himself, played next to Satoransky in the backcourt.

Once Wall returns to the court, Brooks is going to be able to slot Satoransky next to the All-Star guard and Bradley Beal. It’s just one meaningless preseason game, but the Wizards appear to have more offensive options.

The ball handling responsibility won’t be placed solely on Wall. Satoranky, at least after the first preseason game, seems ready to play a significant role in Washington.

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