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Will Barton excited to play with Daniel Gafford, help Wizards’ offense move

By Chase Hughes

Will Barton is excited to play with Daniel Gafford originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

WASHINGTON — Asked at his introductory press conference which of his new Wizards teammates he is looking forward to playing with, Will Barton first said everyone on the team. Then, he specified star guard Bradley Beal and then Kyle Kuzma due to his “shot-making ability.”

Then, Barton honed in on a player that would perhaps be less obvious given he may be coming off the bench next season.

“Big Gaff, I want to get out there with him, man,” Barton said, referencing 23-year-old big man Daniel Gafford. “I’m a guy that likes to get to the rim and when I get to the rim, if I can’t score it myself, I want to put that lob up there and I know he’s a guy who can go get it. So, he’s definitely a guy I’m looking forward to playing with.”

Barton, 31, is joining the Wizards after eight seasons with the Denver Nuggets where he played alongside 2-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets had the 6th-ranked offense last season and are annually one of the more potent scoring teams in the league.

Gafford, though, brings a dynamic that is fairly unique to Barton’s time in Denver as a high-flying big man capable of throwing down a wide range of alley-oops. That should bode well for Barton, who tends to impact the game with his passing.

Barton, in fact, had more assists (276) last season than any one player on the Wizards’ roster. That is despite the fact he plays on the wing and shared the offense with Jokic, who averaged 7.9 assists last season playing essentially as a point-center.

Barton should help add more ball movement to the Wizards’ offense, which is a goal Unseld Jr. has tried to instill in his year on the job. Barton explained his approach in sharing the ball.

“Just knowing that the open man is the best man. Get us some easier shots, get us some threes and just make the ball pop. I feel like when the ball is popping and moving, you have more fun playing that style of basketball. Hopefully I can help bring that,” he said.

The Nuggets led the NBA last season in passes per game (310.7) and Barton ranked third on the team in the category (37.3), right behind point guard Monte Morris (47.3) who also came to the Wizards in the same trade. The Nuggets were also third in assists (27.8). The Wizards, meanwhile, were 11th in passing (289.3) and 13th in assists (25.0). They had the 25th-ranked offense in terms of efficiency.

Barton added that he and Unseld Jr. spoke about ball movement and the offense after he was acquired by Washington. But Barton felt there wasn’t much that needed to be said given their long history together in the Nuggets organization.

That’s one of the positives of bringing in Barton and Morris. They should be able to hit the ground running.

“I’ve been around him for so long, he’s coached me for so long, that I already know that’s his identity,” Barton said.

Wizards lose third straight as James Harden records 17 assists for 76ers

By Chase Hughes
Wizards lose third straight as Harden records 17 assists originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonWASHINGTON -- The Washington Wizards lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 118-111 on Halloween at Capital One Arena. Here are five takeaways from what went down...Three in a rowThe Wizards were 3-1 through their first four games this season, but a lot can change in a short period of time as it only took four days for them to lose three consecutive games, leaving them at 3-4. After losing to the Pacers at home and the Celtics on the road, they returned home for a lopsided defeat at the hands of the Sixers.Philly played without superstar Joel Embiid, who sat with a non-COVID illness. But James Harden (23 points, 17 assists) and Tyrese Maxey (28 points) were plenty enough for them to get the win. The Sixers created separation with a +13 margin in the third quarter and were able to hold the Wizards off after that.The Wizards fell to 3-4 on the season and it won't get any easier moving forward. They see the Sixers again on Wednesday, then the Nets and Grizzlies after that.No Embiid changed some thingsWithout Embiid, the Sixers went micro with P.J. Tucker starting at center. He's 6-foot-5, which means he had a 10-inch height disadvantage battling the 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzingis in the post. Porzingis was able to capitalize with a strong offensive game of 32 points (10-16 FG) to go along with nine rebounds, but Tucker held his own in other areas, as he usually does. He did a nice job of creating openings for Sixers' guards off screens and broke free for a few baskets of his own, scoring 13 points.Former Wizards fan favorite Montrezl Harrell also made a big difference in the second half, partly leading to Taj Gibson replacing Daniel Gafford in the second unit. Where the Wizards probably wish they took advantage more is in the paint. The Sixers outdid the Wizards in paint points, 56-50. Deni to the benchBefore the game, when asked the customary question of whether he would use the same starters, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. responded with a vague "maybe." It wasn't clear at the time if that actually meant a change was coming, as he could have just been practicing gamesmanship. But sure enough, there was a new lineup, as Deni Avdija moved to the bench after starting the first six games. He was replaced by Anthony Gill.Avdija only played 11 minutes in the Wizards' loss to the Celtics on Sunday night, as Unseld Jr. went away from him after a poor defensive start, albeit due to some very difficult assignments. Avdija played 17 minutes in this one and played better. He had a rough beginning, but rallied to get some stops against Harden and was able to show a little bit more of his passing ability with a handful of assists. That's the thing about Avdija coming off the bench. While he balances out the starting lineup well, he should have more of an opportunity to spread his wings offensively in the second unit.Slow start for BealAfter going scoreless in the first half of Sunday's loss for the first time since 2018, Bradley Beal managed only four points in the first half against Philadelphia. He was better in the third quarter, with eight points in the frame, and ended up with 20 points for the night on 7-for-18 shooting with four turnovers. With 12 points against Boston, that means he combined to score 32 points in two games. It wasn't long ago that was a single-game number for Beal.Beal, though, has had a heck of a time against two tough defenses on back-to-back nights. Against Philly, he saw a lot of contact, yet only got to the line four times. He's in a bit of a rut right now and the referees seem intent on not lending any help. It will be interesting to see if the Wizards do anything differently next game to try to shake his slump.Still waiting on KispertCorey Kispert sat out once again due to his sprained left ankle, despite last week practicing for the Wizards and being described by Unseld Jr. as "really close." According to the Wizards' coach, Kispert continues to make progress practicing with the Capital City Go-Go. He's just not quite ready yet.Wednesday will mark four weeks since Kispert's injury was first revealed and the original timeline was 4-6 weeks. So, given that, it probably shouldn't be a surprise he hasn't played yet, even though it seemed like his return was imminent late last week. The Wizards play their next game on Wednesday and that will technically be within the original window the team gave as a projection. Maybe he plays against Philly. If not, the Wizards' next game is Friday vs. the Nets.
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