Tapscott Trying to Teach Young Players the Worth of Winning

One of the many challenges facing interim coach Ed Tapscott has been getting the team's young players to balance the excitement that comes with earning playing time with the knowledge of what it takes to win.

For the most part, young players in the NBA are focused first on earning playing time and becoming starters, second on earning their first big contract and then only gradually come to understand the importance of playing for a winning team.

So far this season, a youthful group that includes rookie JaVale McGee, second-year players Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Oleksiy Pecherov and Javaris Crittenton, and fourth-year player Andray Blatche have experienced a lot of losing.

"The transfer from not playing to playing is the easy part," Tapscott said. "Every guy wants more minutes. Now all of a sudden you get more minutes and the real key is: Which switch flips? Every guy in the NBA has been a star somewhere else and the first thought is, 'Great, I'm in and now I can get my numbers, which leads to getting paid.' What we've got to get guys to understand is that winning is the primary focus in the NBA. . . . It's trying to get young guys to understand that you're remembered and your legacy is defined by winning."

· UP NEXT: The team will practice today and tomorrow before opening a four-game road trip at Golden State on Monday afternoon. Six of the next seven games are away from Washington. The good news is that the month of February will feature eight home games and four away games.

Up Next: Monday at Golden State 4 p.m. WDCW-50, WTEM-980

Wednesday at Sacramento 10 p.m. Comcast SportsNet, WTEM-980