- 6 days ago
Chase Hughes breaks down the Wizards opening night victory featuring a monster performance from Anthony Davis and a nice showing from Washington's young core.
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00:00Joining us now on the Rude Guest Hotline is our boy Chase Hughes,
00:04sideline reporter for the Wizards broadcast team.
00:07What up, Chasse?
00:09Not much, man.
00:10Good seeing you last night, J.P.
00:12It was good to see you, man.
00:13Did the vibe feel a little different last night, Chase?
00:18More than a little different.
00:19It was the best crowd, I think, at Cat Rowan Arena
00:24in probably like five years at least.
00:27I mean, no, you'd have to go back further than that
00:30because that would take you to like the COVID years.
00:32I think probably, possibly the best crowd since COVID, best home crowd.
00:37And the players, you know, held up their end of the bargain.
00:41Like the way they took over the game in the second half,
00:45especially Anthony Davis, was really exciting.
00:47There were a lot of people there that were happy to see the Wizards.
00:51I saw Gary Williams, Francis Tiafoe, Waka Flocka Flame was even there
00:56performing at halftime, so it was a fun time.
00:58I didn't see Coach.
00:59I wish I did.
01:02What stood out to you?
01:03Obviously, Anthony Davis' second half performance was phenomenal.
01:08But I don't know.
01:09I know you go deep.
01:10I know you're always chasing the stats.
01:11What stood out for you?
01:13I would say two things.
01:15First of all, how this was the first time in years
01:18is that they were the more physical team.
01:20And they played against a very physical team.
01:22The Bucs have a coach who comes over from the Grizzlies.
01:26That's how they want to play.
01:27They want to be the aggressors.
01:28And I think they did that in the first half.
01:31I think the Wizards held their own,
01:33but it was really in the second half that they were the ones
01:35who were initiating the contact.
01:37And, you know, the last two years before this,
01:39the Wizards were the lightest team in the league
01:42in terms of average weight.
01:43But then they added Anthony Davis and DeAndre Aiton.
01:46Both of those guys are like 250, 260.
01:49And then they have a lot of young players
01:51who are getting stronger.
01:52And so I think they now can be that kind of physical team
01:55that sets that tone.
01:57So that really stood out to me.
01:58And then how the young guys ended up waking up
02:01in the fourth quarter.
02:02Like in the first half and even through the third quarter,
02:04it was Trey Young, Anthony Davis.
02:07It was some of the veterans, DeAndre Aiton.
02:10But then you saw Keyshawn George and Bilal Koulibaly
02:12and Bub Carrington make big plays.
02:15And I think that was great to see
02:16because that is going to determine
02:17this team's long-term future.
02:20What did you think of Keyshawn last night?
02:23Oh my God, this guy is so impressive.
02:27I mean, there were so many plays
02:29that I think just spoke to his two-way potential.
02:32I mean, you might want to remove the word potential.
02:34Like he's already here.
02:35He's a certified starter in the NBA, a two-way threat.
02:39I love the play that he had.
02:41I think it was in the fourth quarter
02:42where he drove into the paint
02:44and pushed Braden Burry's back
02:47and then said something, you know,
02:49called him a little boy or something.
02:51I don't know.
02:51It caught him on the replay.
02:53It sure looked like he said little boy.
02:53Yeah, yeah.
02:54That's what he said.
02:55Something like that.
02:55Yeah, yeah.
02:56But the dude that he pushed back is a rookie.
03:00But he is one of the more physical, aggressive rookies
03:03that I've seen come into the draft in several years.
03:05And it was just earlier in the night, you know,
03:08on the broadcast, John Wall and Drew Gooden
03:10were saying that this guy's, you know,
03:12close to the size of a tight end.
03:14He's like 6'5", 220, and he plays like it.
03:17And for Keyshawn George to push that guy back
03:19and then score on him was really impressive.
03:21And then later in the fourth quarter, he had a block
03:24and he took it all the way down the court for a dunk.
03:27So impressive all around on both ends.
03:30I think he's going to have a monster year.
03:33And I think after this season,
03:34we're going to start talking about all-star potential.
03:37Their bench came out,
03:39and I think that bench supported them tremendously as well.
03:42Bub Carrington, I've always liked him.
03:45But I think he's that guy coming off the bench
03:47where you don't have a problem.
03:48Like some guys, you know, they sit on the bench,
03:50they come out and they've got to get into motion.
03:52Bub just wakes up like an energizer bunny.
03:55You know, how strong do you think the bench
03:57will be for him this year?
03:59Well, it looked great last night,
04:00especially in the second half.
04:02And, you know, I think over the past few years,
04:04what you've seen is a lot of young guys
04:06playing up a role or two.
04:08You know, like they were, you know,
04:10expected to do things or experimenting with things
04:12that they weren't quite ready for yet,
04:15but it was about seeing what they were capable of
04:17and sort of, you know, setting the stage
04:19for their long-term potential.
04:20Now with Trey Young and Anthony Davis,
04:23they're all settling into more comfortable roles,
04:25but that doesn't mean that it's easy
04:27for them to come off the bench
04:28and make an instant impact like they did.
04:31You know, Bilal Kulibaly and Bub Carrington,
04:33I think, stood out for sure.
04:34Bilal Kulibaly had seven deflections.
04:36Like, that's a monster number.
04:39Last year, the guys who led the league
04:40averaged about four.
04:41So he almost doubled that.
04:43And then Bub Carrington to come in
04:45and make shots and be a young player.
04:47Usually you have to learn how to get hot
04:49immediately off the bench.
04:51He did a great job of doing that.
04:53He's excellent at pushing the pace.
04:55And I like to see the defense from him last year.
04:57You know, I remember last season,
04:59it was the second straight year for him in the league
05:01where he's played all 82.
05:03And I was just so impressed with his defensive effort
05:06in like games 81 and 82.
05:08Like, I was like, this guy's going to have a breakthrough
05:10at some point defensively,
05:11because not many players can do that.
05:13And last night, I thought Coach Brian Keefe
05:15had a great point where he was like,
05:17no matter what's going on,
05:18you can always rely on Bub Carrington.
05:20This guy's never missed a game.
05:22And to see him have that kind of success
05:24was awesome because, you know,
05:27he's a really competitive guy.
05:28I think the losing over the past few years
05:30really affected him.
05:31So I think he had a lot of fun last night.
05:33Well, three people didn't play last night
05:34that probably can be a help throughout this season.
05:37Vucevic, DeBonsa, and also Raleigh,
05:40because J.P.'s upset.
05:41I was about to ask.
05:42J.P. and Ryan are upset.
05:43Listen, we're in a new...
05:44But those three guys installed,
05:49that's still an extra plus.
05:50I think they're deep this year
05:52compared to normal years
05:53where you knew what they had
05:55and they had nothing else coming.
05:58Yeah, absolutely.
05:59I mean, there's so much depth
06:00that they're not going to be able
06:01to play everyone every night.
06:03And, you know, to just highlight Will Riley,
06:05he's a guy who was really impressive
06:07in the preseason,
06:08really impressive in the summer league.
06:10And also, you know,
06:12in the last quarter of last season,
06:14they were playing him a lot.
06:15They were playing him at point guard.
06:16He was passing every test.
06:18But I think it's just an indication
06:19that some guys are just going to have
06:21to wait their turn.
06:23And, you know,
06:23I think it's a little bit different
06:25than some other rebuilds
06:27where, like,
06:28I always think of, like,
06:29the Sixers when they did the process.
06:30Like, they threw a bunch of things
06:32against the wall.
06:33They got a bunch of first-round picks.
06:34And, like, half of them,
06:36if not more,
06:36just completely flamed out of the league, right?
06:38They picked a bunch of guys
06:39who ended up being busts.
06:41I think this is a very different situation
06:43where they have a lot of guys
06:45who have already proven
06:46that they have high floors
06:47and probably going to have long NBA careers.
06:49Like, Will Riley,
06:50I think, is going to be
06:51a guy who plays, like,
06:52at least a decade.
06:54I think the way the Wizards
06:56have done that
06:56is they've drafted guys
06:57with positional size.
06:59So they're not, you know,
07:00a step slow
07:01or a couple inches too short
07:02when they're on the court.
07:03And also,
07:04they have the intangibles
07:05where they work hard.
07:07They're versatile.
07:08And so it gives them
07:08a very high floor.
07:09So all these guys
07:10are going to have long careers.
07:11It's just you can't play
07:12all of them every night.
07:13And in the case of AJ,
07:15obviously,
07:15just a poorly timed injury.
07:17I know he's sick about it.
07:18He wanted to play in that game.
07:20But I think he'll be back pretty soon.
07:21You think, like,
07:23three games or so-ish?
07:24That's kind of what I heard.
07:28I don't know how long,
07:30but, you know,
07:30they've got a home game tomorrow.
07:32And then we hit the road
07:33for three games.
07:34So I just,
07:35in my heart of hearts,
07:36would love to see him
07:37make his debut at home.
07:38You know,
07:38he made his preseason debut
07:40at MSG,
07:41and it was electric.
07:42And he made his
07:43summer league debut,
07:44of course,
07:44in Las Vegas.
07:45That was unbelievable.
07:47Like,
07:47I think the DC fans,
07:48you know,
07:48deserve to see this guy play.
07:50And we just got to wait
07:51a little bit longer.
07:52So that maybe Friday,
07:54October 30th,
07:54with the Hornets in town
07:56is a circle.
07:58It's funny.
07:59I joked about this,
08:00Jason.
08:00I don't know if you'll agree with me,
08:01but, like,
08:02we're going through
08:03watching the Wiz last night
08:05and how exciting it was,
08:06how great that crowd was
08:07in the second half.
08:08And then,
08:08Clary and I both were like,
08:10why didn't Riley play?
08:11What about Trae Young's shots?
08:13Like,
08:13for us to break down
08:14a Wiz game
08:15and have questions
08:16or critiques
08:17after a win
08:19is unheard of
08:20over the last couple years.
08:22So, like,
08:22it just,
08:23it feels so much different
08:25and so much of that
08:26is having Anthony Davis
08:28on the court.
08:29How impressed were you
08:30by him last night?
08:32I mean,
08:33it's just a reminder
08:34that he's still got it.
08:35He's 33 years old.
08:37You know,
08:37he's got a lot to prove
08:38when he was traded
08:39from the Lakers.
08:41He spoke openly
08:42about how
08:43motivated he was
08:44to prove that
08:45he can still do it.
08:46And then,
08:47he got traded again,
08:48right?
08:48So, I think you've got
08:49a player who's
08:49super motivated.
08:50He's in a contract year
08:52and he's in shape.
08:54He's healthy
08:55and he can still dominate.
08:57And I think it's really
08:58important to note
08:59that the game
09:00that he had last night,
09:01which I think he had
09:0130 points through
09:02three quarters,
09:03ended up with 34,
09:05matched Antoine Jameson's
09:06franchise record
09:07for a debut.
09:08It was opposite
09:09Miles Turner,
09:10who's led the league
09:11in blocks twice,
09:13and Khalil Ware,
09:14who's one of the best
09:14young rim protectors
09:15in the league.
09:16Both of those guys
09:17are terrific defensive
09:18big men
09:18and you wouldn't
09:19have known it
09:20if you were just
09:21watching Anthony Davis
09:22last night.
09:23Well, dude,
09:23on a personal note,
09:24you and I have known
09:25each other a long time.
09:26I think we've known
09:26each other like close
09:27to 15 years, dude.
09:28And we grinded.
09:30There were a lot
09:31of late nights
09:32working the digital desk
09:33at CSN
09:34with Wargo
09:35busting our balls
09:35about updating
09:36the quote of the day,
09:37right?
09:38Like, we grinded.
09:39And for me to see you
09:42get the immediate
09:43post-game interview
09:44with Anthony Davis,
09:46a future Hall of Famer,
09:47a guy who balled out
09:47in his Wizards debut.
09:49I was just so happy
09:50for you, man.
09:50What was it like
09:51for you last night, man?
09:53That had to be incredible.
09:55It was unbelievable.
09:58You know,
09:58I've spilled in
09:59as the Wizards
10:00sideline reporter
10:01a few times over the years,
10:02did summer league
10:02and the preseason.
10:03But, you know,
10:04as you guys know
10:05with this job,
10:06sometimes you just
10:06kind of hit
10:07what the kids call
10:08a flow state, right?
10:09And then you think
10:10about it afterwards.
10:11It was like
10:11that happened
10:12with my first
10:12preseason game
10:14at MSG.
10:14You know,
10:15it's like,
10:15oh my God,
10:15I did that,
10:16you know?
10:17And then last night
10:18just seeing people
10:18sending pictures
10:19of me on the big screen
10:21interviewing Anthony Davis.
10:22It's like,
10:22whew, man.
10:24Unbelievable.
10:25Grew up in this area
10:26as a fan of the team.
10:27Started as an intern,
10:28as you well know.
10:30So, living the dream, man.
10:31And I appreciate
10:31your support.
10:32Dude, I almost
10:33took a picture
10:33and texted it to you
10:34and I was like,
10:34ah, he's busy.
10:35I don't need
10:35to bug him right now.
10:37Well, dude,
10:39couldn't get a better day.
10:39They said that, man.
10:41Couldn't get a better
10:42debut, man.
10:43Happy for you.
10:44Happy for the Wiz.
10:45Happy for Wiz fans
10:46because I was talking
10:47to a bunch of people
10:48before that game.
10:49Like,
10:49a lot of
10:50those players,
10:52those young guys,
10:52probably don't know
10:53how good that building
10:55can be.
10:56And I think
10:57that building's
10:58going to be really,
10:58Friday night,
10:59should be juicy.
11:02Yeah,
11:02I'm about to talk
11:03to Trey Johnson.
11:04I'm interested to hear,
11:05like,
11:05wouldn't mind
11:05if you got more minutes,
11:06too?
11:07Yeah, right.
11:08Well, I think,
11:09I think,
11:11I'm going to say
11:11what I want to say here.
11:14Yeah,
11:14so you were rooting
11:15for overtime
11:15to get more minutes.
11:16I was not rooting for overtime.
11:17You know what?
11:17I'm rooting for wins.
11:19Whoever's playing,
11:20if they get them,
11:21get them.
11:22But I'm just curious,
11:23like,
11:23Trey Johnson,
11:24you know,
11:24I know for a fact
11:26he hasn't played
11:26in front of a home crowd
11:27like that in D.C.,
11:28but, like,
11:28going back to college,
11:29like,
11:30at Texas,
11:30did he play
11:31in front of a crowd
11:31like that?
11:32I'm interested to hear that
11:33because I think
11:33for a lot of these
11:34young guys,
11:35that might have been
11:36a first.
11:36Yeah,
11:37that's great,
11:38man.
11:38All right,
11:39we'll be watching.
11:40Thank you for the time,
11:41Chase.
11:41Appreciate you, buddy.
11:43Absolutely, guys.
11:43Thanks for having me.
11:44All right,
11:44that's our guy,
11:44Chase Hughes,
11:45sideline reporter
11:46from Monumental Sports
11:47Wizards Broadcast.
11:48You can follow him
11:49at ChaseDCSports.
11:52Nobody go anywhere.
11:53It's B.
11:53Mitch Finley.