A Look at the Wizards-Bobcats Box Score

LINK TO GAME HIGHLIGHTS

 

Seeing as how the Wizards first preseason game versus the Bobcats was not on TV nor on local radio broadcast, the only way to get a good sense of the game was to check for updates on Twitter and refresh the box score. With that being said, there are still a few points to take away from looking at the final box.

Ugliness: Not that you expect a good clean game in your first preseason game, but the Wizards combined to commit 31 personal fouls and 20 turnovers. The turnovers can be expected with a team searching to find their replacement for John Wall, but this isn’t the summer league where you get 10 fouls before you are gone. The Wizards shot a rather poor 33.3% from the floor as a team (33-99), which is not going to get it done, even against the lowly Bobcats.

Point Guard Play: As mentioned above, the Wizards are going to be trying to pin down their replacement for John Wall for at least the 1^st month of the season. Jannero Pargo sat this one out, and A.J. Price got the start. Price finished with 9 points (3-10 shooting), 5 rebounds,  and only 1 assist to 5 turnovers. Shelvin Mack got a little over 22 minutes of play off the bench, and delivered 7 assists to zero turnovers.  He only shot 1-6 from the floor though and finished with 3 points and 2 rebounds. Neither player really distanced themselves from the other, and it will be interesting to see if Pargo is going to get a shot eventually.

Webster’s Shooting: Martell Webster didn’t show up much in the box score until the 4^th quarter, when he scored 14 of his 18 points. He ended up 6-12 from the floor and 2-5 from three point range, with 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist. Webster could be in line for a big role on this team if he can give the Wizards this type of production off the bench.

Beal With It: When checking the scores, my eye was mostly on Bradley Beal’s line, and he didn’t disappoint in his first NBA preseason game. Beal also had 18 points to lead the Wizards (along with Webster), while shooting 7-17 from the floor and 2-4 from long range. He also contributed 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. I think we may see him slide into a starting spot during one of these next preseason games.

Singleton’s Play: Chris Singleton put up a strong line in his 15 minutes of play, chipping in 9 points, 9 rebounds and a steal while going 3-5 from the floor and 3-4 from the free throw line. Many people on Twitter were saying he did most of damage playing the PF spot, where he strength and quickness allowed him to get by slower defenders. The problem with this though is the Wizards, when at full strength, are loaded at the PF position so we should expect to see Singleton back at the SF spot most nights. However, when the Wizards want to go small, it is nice to know they may be able to get some production out of Singleton at the 4.