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00:00 - Backhand's good roll.
00:02 - Yeah, daughter's into tennis.
00:05 Hey, who knows what could happen out of that.
00:08 (laughter)
00:10 Yeah.
00:11 (laughter)
00:12 I'll try.
00:13 Questions?
00:14 - What's it like to try to find ways to finish over Wim Binyama?
00:19 - You said what is it like?
00:21 - Yeah.
00:22 - I mean, for me personally, from my perspective,
00:26 I remember the first game of the season.
00:28 He was intrigued to the league, he blocked my shot.
00:32 I don't mind that.
00:34 Right side of history.
00:37 But yeah, he's just a force down there.
00:40 He has great timing.
00:42 You can tell he really studies the game well.
00:46 And on the defensive end, there's not much that he can't do.
00:49 So for him to, or for me to get the best time on that one possession,
00:54 it felt good.
00:55 But moving into the future, I don't know how many more I can get off on him
00:59 just because of how much ground he covers.
01:01 But it was an exciting play.
01:02 I'm grateful I converted it.
01:04 - You've had a few finishes over him, with him or any shot blocker.
01:10 What's kind of the decision-making process for you as far as how to finish?
01:15 - The first thing is no fear.
01:17 Once you step in that paint, you take off,
01:19 especially off of one foot or off of two feet.
01:22 You want to safely land.
01:24 Be aware of the contact.
01:25 Know how strong the bigs are before you attack.
01:28 And even if there's a guard down there, that's a good defender too.
01:32 It's just to limit their athletic ability.
01:34 I have to be crafty around the rim.
01:35 Sometimes I can finish over guys,
01:37 but a lot of them are trying to block shots when I get close to the rim.
01:42 So I like to play in that in-between area, between 16 feet to one foot,
01:47 and be very efficient down there.
01:50 So when I see bigs in front of him,
01:51 I feel like I have an advantage when I can use the rim as protection.
01:55 And I know that I can convert it at a high rate.
01:58 So that's what I'm thinking when I go to the lane.
02:00 It's just be creative, be imaginative, but also go to finish.
02:04 I had a lot of coaches growing up, you know,
02:08 when I was playing on their teams,
02:09 and they didn't really like or appreciate some of my creativity in the air
02:13 until I made my layups at a very high efficient rate.
02:16 So I don't blame them, again.
02:18 A lot of practice, I've been working on these finishes since about seventh,
02:21 eighth grade.
02:23 - Is that the Ron Strickland influence?
02:25 - That is Dreder Irving influence, with Mahom Karrad being my godfather
02:30 and, you know, exemplifying greatness for 17 years in his own way,
02:35 playing in the NBA.
02:36 And I didn't get a chance to work out with him when I was growing up.
02:40 It was mainly just me and my dad.
02:42 But as I got older, I started appreciating his journey a lot more,
02:47 you know, and he played 17 years in the NBA.
02:50 That's no small feat.
02:51 So I'm really proud of him.
02:53 I'm happy that I have a mentor in my life such as him that I can call on
02:58 any time.
02:59 And he gives me a ton of advice, especially finish around those bigs,
03:03 which I appreciate.
03:04 - You found a major rhythm in the second quarter and for the remainder of the
03:08 game.
03:09 Was there anything that you saw or anything?
03:11 - Yeah, no, we had to get it going, man.
03:13 We had to get it going.
03:14 We had to manufacture the energy to be able to get the lead,
03:19 at least going into halftime.
03:20 And we knew playing from behind against this team, you know,
03:24 we don't want to leave it up to that.
03:26 We wanted to put our foot on the gas pedal, get out on the break,
03:29 get some easy transition points, and let everybody touch the ball,
03:33 feel good about it, have a good rhythm.
03:35 And then, you know, most importantly, just lock down on defense.
03:39 We started paying attention to our game plan in that second quarter a little
03:42 bit more.
03:43 I know Sweeney and J.K. were happy about that,
03:45 but we got to demand that out of ourselves in the beginning of the game.
03:48 But even if it doesn't happen, we still got to have that resilience and be able
03:52 to battle back.
03:53 - I've seen a little more you and Luka two-man game over the past few games.
03:59 What have you liked from that?
04:00 What's been working?
04:01 And, you know, is that going to continue trending?
04:04 - Yeah.
04:05 Yeah, easy pickings.
04:06 You know, easy pickings, once we get into that one-three pick and roll or
04:10 three-one pick and roll or one-two, whatever you want to call it.
04:12 It's a high-efficient play for us.
04:14 And when I'm making a decision on the back end or he's making a decision on the
04:17 back end, that's a successful play for our team.
04:20 - You guys are getting healthier, you've won six in a row,
04:24 you're running and going into the break on a nice roll.
04:27 How do you feel about just the uptick you've seen out of this team in the last,
04:31 you know, couple weeks?
04:33 - Proud of our guys, that we're making incremental progress.
04:36 And it's about us and everybody that's in that locker room and staying focused
04:41 and continuing to get our work in on off days and do the little things to be
04:45 prepared to play whatever amount of minutes that coach asks you to.
04:50 So I think once we've matured in that sense of being able to lock into our
04:54 roles, then you're seeing some high-level basketball,
04:57 highly successful basketball being played.
05:00 - You mentioned his excitement going into his first All-Star.
05:03 Any advice for him in that area?
05:05 - Yeah, enjoy it.
05:07 I remember my first in Orlando.
05:10 You know, get a chance to pick a lot of the guys' brains,
05:13 a lot of your peers' brains, and it's about you.
05:16 You know, you've been chosen as one of the rising stars,
05:19 and that's no small feat.
05:20 He's played well for us this season.
05:22 He's been a huge, impactful player for us,
05:25 and I'm just happy for him that he gets to experience that,
05:28 being around some of the best in the world and really see what it's like.
05:32 Sometimes it can be overwhelming at first once you get there,
05:35 a little nerve-wracking, but once the ball goes up in the air and you see all
05:38 the fans and especially the kids, the kids enjoy that weekend the most.
05:42 And I don't want to call D-Lava a kid because he's turned 20,
05:47 so I don't want to disrespect him, but, you know,
05:50 it'd be good for him to play in front of his peers, some of the kids there.
05:54 - How pivotal and impactful has P.J.
05:57 Washington's defense been for this ballclub?
06:00 - Very impactful, very impactful.
06:02 We don't take it for granted, and we appreciate him doing the little things
06:05 for us to be successful in these last few games.
06:08 To get traded in the middle of the season is not easy,
06:11 so we really feel for him.
06:13 And going into this all-star break, you know, even like tonight, I told him,
06:17 I said, you know, once you play a few more games with us,
06:19 you'll stop deferring to me and Luca and just be yourself out there
06:23 and command the ball.
06:24 You're playing with some selfless individuals that are some big gamers,
06:27 so we know the rhythm of the game and who needs to get involved,
06:30 but tonight showed his maturity to be able to not shoot the ball particularly well,
06:36 not get as many shots, not be involved in the offensive end,
06:38 but still commit himself to defensive end.
06:41 That's a trait of a winner, so we want him to continue that.
06:46 - And one last question.
06:47 Sorry.
06:48 You mentioned your father earlier, and he was sitting there courtside.
06:53 What does it feel like?
06:54 I know he's been at many games, but just what does it feel like for you
06:58 to see him there courtside supporting you with a team that you found your peace
07:04 and happiness with?
07:05 - Yeah, my dad's proud of me.
07:07 He's happy for me, and I think he can speak for himself.
07:09 You know, if you ever get a chance to talk with him,
07:11 not many people get a chance to get to know him,
07:14 know the foundation of where I come from.
07:16 People just assume that I just dropped out of thin air, you know what I mean?
07:19 Like my parents are not involved or anything like that,
07:22 but my dad is truly influential in my life, and he's seen millions of my games,
07:27 so, you know, you guys are enjoying things that you get to see for the past few years,
07:32 and my dad has seen it since I was four or five years old.
07:35 So, you know, when we have our moments to talk about how I can get better,
07:39 those are the things I appreciate, but the most important role that he plays in my life
07:43 is just being a great father and being there for me as a man.
07:47 He's imperfect.
07:48 I'm imperfect, and he's just consistently giving me advice
07:51 and telling me that he's an open book.
07:53 He's seen a lot of life in this world.
07:55 He has a lot of experience.
07:56 He's been around the league for a while, too, you know, with my godfather being an NBA.
08:01 So he's been around the lifestyle.
08:03 He's very familiar with it, and he just wants me to have peace of mind every single day I wake up
08:08 and knowing, you know, I have a supportive family behind me every single day.
08:13 You know, this lifestyle can get very lonely sometimes when you're in those hotel rooms
08:17 or traveling and trying to be the best of the best.
08:19 Not a lot of people understand.
08:21 Not a lot of people get it.
08:22 So to have, you know, one parent in my life or two parents with my stepmom as well
08:28 supporting me, it means the world to me.
08:31 - PJ and him trusting, you know, trusting himself.
08:36 But I know D-Lob has talked about trust within the team.
08:40 How much does that factor into, like, games like tonight and just games overall?
08:44 - Say that first part one more time.
08:46 - About PJ?
08:47 - Yeah.
08:48 - Yeah, about PJ trusting himself.
08:50 - Oh, yeah, yeah.
08:51 - Overall, in, like, games like tonight and just games overall.
08:55 - Oh, yeah, it's a huge factor.
08:57 Again, I'll speak to his maturity.
08:59 You know, we don't see--I don't want to say we don't see a lot of young guys,
09:03 but sometimes it takes young guys a little while.
09:05 It took me a while to figure out how to win with quality teammates
09:09 and to fulfill a role without getting too emotionally stressed over playing well on the offensive end
09:15 or not getting the ball, especially playing with guys that are highly efficient.
09:20 That's an adjustment period, but I feel like, you know, he's integrated himself very well.
09:25 I know him being at Kentucky helped, you know, not having the ball all the time
09:29 and doing the little things.
09:30 So it's the same thing here.
09:31 You're playing with some high-level players that make the game easy.
09:34 You don't have to overthink it.
09:35 You know, you do the little things that help us win, and we'll be very successful,
09:39 and that's what I'm going to continue to reiterate to them while we're out there.
09:43 And then moving forward, we'll get him a few more post-ups,
09:45 a few more touches when he needs to feel that rhythm, and that's your answer to all his questions.
09:51 Yes.
09:56 Hey.
09:58 Good first half of the season, y'all.
10:01 I'll catch y'all in, like, I'll catch y'all next Wednesday, Tuesday, whatever, man.
10:07 You guys enjoy all the sunbreak as well.