Crittenton Shows Skills in Blowout

Among the very few positives for the Washington Wizards in their 108-83 loss at Boston on Friday night, they did finally get a chance to take an extended look at second-year point guard Javaris Crittenton, who was acquired from Memphis in a trade Dec. 10.

With DeShawn Stevenson out, Crittenton played a season-high 21 minutes and showed some flashes of ability. He pushed the ball in transition, created some open shot opportunities for teammates and finished with five points, four rebounds, four assists and two turnovers.

In his first 10 games as a Wizard, the 2007 first-round pick played a combined 28 minutes.

"I feel like I'm getting the hang of everything," Crittenton said. "It's all about experience, you know? I practice, go over all the plays and then it's good to run the offense in real game-time situations."

Crittenton has displayed a willingness to attack.

"I don't like to walk the ball up the court," he said. "There were a few times I should've slowed it down and ran something, so I'll look over the tape and realize that, but I like pushing the ball, finding my teammates in transition and not allow the defense to just sit back. Just push it at them and make them react to you."

Interim coach Ed Tapscott has been reluctant to play Crittenton extensively until he fully learns the offense.

"He's a young player who hasn't had a whole lot of time, so if there's a silver lining in a game like this, it's that you can give opportunities to some younger guys," Tapscott said. "I thought Javaris did a nice job."

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