National Basketball Association

Washington Wizards Training Camp Outlook 2016-17: Three Storylines To Follow

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:32 a.m. ET

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Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Wizards 2016-17 Training Camp Outlook: Multiple backup roles, along with an open roster spot, are up for grabs in the nation’s capital.

The NBA season is almost here. While the temperature is dropping in reality, the off-season ice has just about melted. In two days, the Washington Wizards will begin training camp at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Scott Brooks has received his second head coaching gig with the Wizards after parting from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015.

The coach was supposed to help the Wizards lure Kevin Durant home, but the team’s effort fell super short, failing to even land a free agent meeting with the D.C. native.

Now, the Wizards are hopeful that Brooks’ player development chops will take the likes of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, Markieff Morris and Kelly Oubre to another level.

The foundation for a successful season begins in the summer during free agency and it continues in training camp. Wall, the team’s lone All-Star, might end up missing the start of camp, but that cannot be used as an excuse.

Brooks is tasked with regaining the team’s defensive identity and finding a rotation that works, despite not having previously coached any of the players on the roster.

As Randy Wittman used to say, the players decide who plays and who doesn’t during camp.

While the Wizards are a collective unit, there is going to be competition during camp. Currently, only four returning players are essentially locks to remain starters.

Here are three storylines to follow throughout the week-long camp.

Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Shooting guard competition

Last year, the Washington Wizards had plenty of competition for the backup shooting guard role with Garrett Temple and Gary Neal mainly battling it out in camp.

Neal went on to have one of his most efficient seasons, scoring close to 10 points on nearly 47 percent shooting from the field. The veteran guard was one of the only players on the roster that could create his own look and became the Wizards’ sixth man early in the season.

In camp, Neal supposedly struggled to find a rhythm, but given the team’s lack of ball handlers, he became Beal’s primary backup.

Once injuries began to pile up and Neal got hurt, Temple became a key piece in Randy Wittman‘s rotation.

Temple didn’t create offense like Neal, but he did play defense and move the ball. Temple went on to play 24.4 minutes per game – the most of his career.

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For the second straight year, the Wizards are without a clear backup shooting guard.

Tomas Satoransky, who’s 6-foot-7 and has played point guard for most of his career overseas, should compete with Marcus Thornton as the team’s backup.

Washington did not find another clear alternative this summer and will instead count on a rookie and a veteran for production.

Problems, however, might arise.

Satoransky clearly has the physical tools to contribute at the next level, but adjusting to the NBA (and the country as a whole) will take some time.

If the Wizards thrust him into a significant role and he’s not ready, they could find themselves having to play Beal more than expected.

Thornton was re-signed to the veteran’s minimum this off-season, even though he shot just 39 percent from the field in Washington and led the team in attempts per-36 minutes.

Ernie Grunfeld is counting on Thornton the same way he counted on Martell Webster and Rasual Butler a few years ago. Neither Webster nor Butler were expected to crack the Washington Wizards’ rotation, but ended up being key players off the bench.

Jarell Eddie, who’s essentially guaranteed to make the roster even though his contract will last through camp, will also compete for minutes with Satoransky and Thornton.

The sharpshooter played well during summer league, making over 46 percent of his shots from deep. His game is similar to Anthony Morrow‘s, who was a part of Brooks’ rotation in Oklahoma City.

The 6-foot-7 swingman might end up becoming the Wizards’ secret weapon.

Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Fighting for a final roster spot

Washington has 13 of the available 15 roster spots filled, including Eddie, who as previously mentioned is basically a lock to make the team.

That means the Wizards will have two open roster spots. Only one of them will likely be filled as the team typically leaves one open for flexibility.

Sheldon McClellan, Danuel House and Daniel Ochefu all played for the Wizards during summer league and accepted invitations to attend training camp. All three rookies are on partially-guaranteed deals, which means they’re being compensated for attending camp.

McClellan, a standout guard in college, was supposed to showcase his scoring ability during summer league, but didn’t do much to separate himself from his peers.

The same is true for Ochefu, who played for NCAA Champion Villanova last year.

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Out of all the rookie hopefuls, House seems to have the best opportunity at earning the final roster spot.

House, along with Oubre, was the best player on the Wizards’ summer league team, averaging over 11 points in less than 19 minutes per game.

He’s in a rare spot because the Washington Wizards don’t have much depth on the wing.

Porter and Oubre will be the two small-forwards and the team doesn’t have another one on the roster.

House has the makings of a prototypical 3-and-D small-forward.

Washington hasn’t found a “steal” in quite some time, so House could break that dry spell.

He went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Johnny O’Bryant, who played for the Milwaukee Bucks last season, and Casper Ware, a 5-foot-10 guard who had a cup of coffee with the Philadelphia 76ers, are also joining the Wizards for camp.

O’Bryant (23-years-old) and Ware (25-years-old) both have limited NBA experience.

Wall’s knee situation could prevent him from starting the season on time, allowing Ware to sneak in and find a role immediately. Obviously, the team is hoping that Wall doesn’t miss any time, but Ware will have an opportunity to prove himself.

O’Bryant, on the other hand, might be competing for a roster spot elsewhere. Washington already has five big men on guaranteed contracts, so O’Bryant and Ochefu could be used as bodies during camp.

If they stick around long enough, both players will get playing time during preseason. Other teams will have the chance to see them perform. Ish Smith was in a similar spot last year and landed a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Smith won’t go away quietly

Jason Smith remains the most bizarre signing of the Washington Wizards’ off-season, considering they had just inked Ian Mahinmi to a $64 million deal and other cheaper alternatives were on the market.

Smith, like Temple, always finds a way to get playing time, even when it looks like he’ll be one of those veterans who lead by example during practice and not in games.

The former Orlando Magic big man will compete for minutes with his long-time teammate, Andrew Nicholson, during training camp.

Nicholson has the tools to become the Wizards’ sixth man.

Washington doesn’t have a go-to scorer off the bench and Nicholson is capable of scoring both inside and out. He’s expanded his range out to the 3-point line and could play the stretch four role, allowing him to get minutes with the starters in spurts.

With that said, Smith won’t concede the backup power-forward spot just because Nicholson is the younger player.

Averaging close to 17 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks per-36 minutes, Smith was signed to give the Wizards additional depth in the front court. He’s quietly impressive on the court and he’s one of the only vocal veteran leaders the Wizards will have in the locker room.

Last season, Smith was one of the best mid-range jump shooters in the league, just behind Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in percentage from 10-21 feet (h/t Reddit).

Smith made 49 percent of his shots from that range, ahead of Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki and Karl-Anthony Towns. The dude can stroke it.

The idea of a “go-to” move has slowly faded away in the NBA. Not many players have one particular move that they rely on for consistent buckets. Smith is a part of that old-school group.

Depending on how well he plays during training camp, Brooks might find himself having difficulty denying Smith playing time. If he earns it over Nicholson, it won’t come as a shock to anyone on the team. After all, he’s been proving people wrong for about a decade at the highest level.

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