A Promising Development for Wizards

Blatche, 19, Is Putting in Time On Way to NBA

The Wizards were going through a one-on-one drill at the end of practice yesterday when Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and Gilbert Arenas took turns going at 19-year-old rookie Andray Blatche.

Blatche, who was recalled from Roanoke of the NBA Development League over the weekend, quickly found himself re-immersed in NBA life as the trash talk flowed and the team's established veterans tried to add to his learning process.

"It's good to be back," said Blatche, who averaged 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 24.5 minutes in six games with the Roanoke Dazzle. "It was good for me to go and get a chance to play. It gave me the chance to take some of the things I've been learning up here and apply them down there."

The 6-foot-11 Blatche, who is listed as a forward but has the kind of all-around skills that could allow him to play anywhere from shooting guard to power forward, received the kind of playing time that isn't available with the veteran-laden Wizards.

Also, Blatche has been working to get back into basketball condition since he suffered gunshot wounds to his right wrist and left chest area during an attempted carjacking near his Alexandria home in September. Blatche, who was selected in the second round of the NBA draft out of South Kent Prep in Connecticut, missed all of training camp and the preseason and has since been working to catch up.

After appearing in four games with the Wizards for a total of 21 minutes, Blatche was assigned to Roanoke on Dec. 14, where he primarily played power forward. He started two games in which he averaged 24.2 minutes per game.

The Wizards assigned an assistant coach, Ron Ganulin, to work with Blatche and second-year center Peter John Ramos and have closely monitored the progress made by their two young prospects. Ramos is expected to be recalled soon.

"We wanted him to get some game-time experience and it gave him that opportunity," President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld said. "This is the reason why the [D-League] is there. It's for developing players. It's so important for guys like Andray to go down there and get the kind of game-time experience they need. There's only so much learning a guy can do after practice, during practice or before practice here with the [NBA] team. It's hard to simulate a real game, and young players need that."

According to forward Antawn Jamison, who often matches up against Blatche in practice, playing time is the most critical component for growing into a solid NBA player, particularly for a rookie such as Blatche who entered the NBA with only four years of high school and one year of prep school basketball under his belt.

"I went through three years of college and then during my rookie year, I was playing like, 14, 15 minutes a game and that didn't feel like it was enough. So just imagine what it would be like coming straight out of prep school," Jamison said. "That was one of the best things to come out of the new [collective bargaining agreement], being able to send guys down so they get some game-time experience. It's good to get away from the hoopla of NBA life. He's a mature kid with a lot of upside, but it made him realize, 'Hey, I gotta work. This isn't going to come easy. There are guys in front of me and I have to do everything possible to put myself in position to be ready.' "

Jamison thinks Blatche has the potential to become a big-time player and believes that if Blatche had chosen to attend college -- for instance Jamison's alma mater, the University of North Carolina -- Blatche would be a star.

"Oh, he'd be first-team all-ACC, no question," Jamison said. "The guy can do a lot. He can post you up. He can handle the ball for a big guy. He needs to work on his shot a little bit, but if he were to play in college, he'd definitely be one of the top players in the nation as a freshman."

The Wizards will have the option of assigning Blatche to Roanoke up to two more times this season, though Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan has talked about giving Blatche an opportunity to play his way into the team's rotation.

"I'm sure he understands that making it to the NBA is a privilege -- I know you work for it and you earn it -- but it's good to go to the other side and see how guys are struggling to get to the NBA, how they work hard and how the conditions aren't as favorable as far as chartered planes and terrific locker rooms and those kinds of things," Jordan said. "He understands now that working hard, staying disciplined, being on time, learning the plays, all of those things are important. There are a lot of guys with talent who aren't in the NBA. It takes a little bit more."

A Syracuse, N.Y., native, Blatche said he experienced a few moments of wondering "what if?" as he took in a Syracuse University game at Madison Square Garden in November, but has otherwise been focused on his life as an NBA player.

"I just have to keep working hard, getting better," Blatche said. "I've already learned a lot."