Flip Saunders, Jon Shepard pair up for a new season - lx Shepard xl's Dynasty

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Flip Saunders, Jon Shepard pair up for a new season

Posted on April 23, 2012 at 11:28 AM.

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"I'm excited for this team this year. I think we have a lot of talent that, with the right effort and plays, can become a playoff contending team. I heard we got a new GM, and that's all fine and dandy. When it comes down to it, the players win the games, not the coaching staff or the administrators. I have a lot of faith that our team will do good this year."

Earlier today, a squad v squad scrimmage took place within the Wizards practice court. At this scrimmage was GM Jon Shepard, who recently bought the Wizards and is looking to play a key role in their development. After the scrimmage, we sat down with Shepard and asked him about each player on the court, and to give us a small scouting report on what he saw.

John Wall (PG, 82 OVR)
Shepard's Comments: It's obvious that Wall will be the center of the Wizards organization. He has speed, awareness, and a knack to score. He got some big steals during the scrimmage, and his ability to drive is almost un-matched. If he can learn how to hit the three point shot, he'll be almost unstoppable. He could also stand to work on his shot in traffic.

Mustafa Shakur (PG, 54 OVR)
Shepard's Comments: I really appreciated Mustafa in this game. He defended Wall pretty well, and had excellent court vision to make sure the open man got the pass he needed to score. His ability to shoot wasn't bad either. All he needs to do is work on his confidence on the offensive end.

Nick Young (SG, 72 OVR)
Shepard's Comments: Nick is a fast kid. I like seeing him run with Wall on the break. My issue I had with what I saw today is his inability to create a shot for himself. He missed a lot of shots, and couldn't seem to break open. Those are issue we hope to fix in order to get him in the starting rotation.

Jordan Crawford (SG, 65 OVR)
Shepard's Comments: I wasn't too terribly impressed with Crawford. Sure, he made some nice looking three's, and that's a great ability to have for a bench player, but he missed a few drives I believe he should've made, and he didn't defend Young as well as I would've liked. But he's young, and has time to grow.

Rashard Lewis (SF, 73 OVR)
Shepard's Comments: I respect the knowledge that Lewis brings to this team, but I saw him sluggishly moving on the break. I mean, I expect my SF to be moving at least ahead of the Center and Power Forward on the break, but Lewis wasn't doing that. He also missed a few chances I thought he should've made. Despite a few blocked passes, I was expecting more from Lewis this game.

Maurice Evans (SF, 70 OVR)
Shepard's Comments: Watching Maurice out there today was pretty enjoyable. He made a few awesome rebounds, and spread the floor pretty well. He gave Lewis a hard time on both ends of the court. I think the biggest battle in the Wizards locker room will be for the starting SF spot.

Andray Blatch (PF, 71 OVR)
Shepard's Comments: Andray's ability to grab rebounds was what impressed me today. He missed some of his inside chances should've been makes, but his ability to get up and grab the rebound and contest shots was exactly what I wanted to see out of him. I also saw him run the floor fairly well on the break, which is a bonus for a man of his size.

Trevor Booker (PF, 66 OVR)
Shepard's Comments: Trevor has a great post game. He did a great job backing down Blatche a few times, and his ability to score down low is a nice improvement for the bench squad. He also gets it done on the defensive glass. A little bit more power and blocking ability from him would be a nice improvement.

Javale McGee (C, 70 OVR)
Shepard's Comments: I really like McGee. He's very tall for his position, and he's long. During the scrimmage he had no problem going over the other team and snagging rebounds. Down low he's a huge threat. Easy guy to get the ball to and a very consistant scorer, at least from what I've seen.

Hamady N'Diaye (C, 51 OVR)
Shepard's Comments: I wasn't too happy with Hamady's play today. He turned the ball over a bit too many times, got sloppy with his ball handling skills, and allowed too many inside passes. Plus, Booker was doing a majority of the defensive work. Hamady's presence on the floor gives him an edge, but his lack of speed and awareness will cost him.

Shortly after the practice, Saunders posted his starting roster and depth chart for us to see.

Washington Wizards Depth Chart - 2011
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	John Wall	Mustafa Shakur
SG	Nick Young	Jordan Crawford
SF	Rashard Lewis	Maurice Evans	Josh Howard
PF	Andray Blatche	Trevor Booker	Kevin Seraphin
C	Javale McGee	Yi Jianlian	Hamady N'Diaye

Based on the schedule for this year, and the 28 games the Wizards will play, we predict they will go
12-16 with this roster. Not enough to make the playoffs based not only on other teams in the West, but in the NBA in general. Hopefully Shepard will make moves to improve the team and get them to a playoff appearance!