Notebook from day two of Washington Wizards training camp including notes on Anthony Davis, the big men, intensity on Wednesday and an update on Khris Middleton
The Washington Wizards wrapped up day two of training camp inside CareFirst Arena on Wednesday afternoon with notes from head coach Brian Keefe, Anthony Davis and Kyshawn George:
Intensity on Day Two
Head coach Brian Keefe echoed similar comments made by veteran forward Anthony Davis shortly after day two of Wizards' 2026 training camp as both pointed to the intensity, commitment and mindset on Wednesday. Yet Davis took it a step further after pointing out "some great plays" from Wednesday's practice.
"We really got after it today, really competing at a high level," Davis said. "Feels good to just be back out on the floor."
Keefe also pointed to the "collective growth" in addition to the team's mindset over the course of summer workouts that give the Wizards “positive direction” into 2026-27.
Yet training camp also provides a chance for one of the NBA's youngest rosters to learn the details of winning in the league as Davis pointed to shot timing and quality, time of possession and defensive schemes as part of the recipe. That also includes elevated day-to-day expectations as Davis also joked that “some rules have been put in place," but preseason will also provide the opportunity for the roster to gel together in a game with so many impact pieces still "just trying to find a groove with each other, find each other’s habits," as Kyshawn George explained.
"When do I like a pass, how do you want a screen set? I’ve been seeing that all September and obviously even more so here the last couple [of] days," Keefe said. "Those are the things that are going to help us get to where we want to go."
Davis also praised communication between he and his teammates, even highlighting Kyshawn George as one becoming more vocal in the seven months since arriving in Washington.
"Even when guys were making mistakes, we are going to the guys like, 'what did you see on that?' Or, 'AD, what do you think?," Davis said. "When you have that dialog, it's a lot easier to correct things very quickly. I think the conversations, the communication that we've been having shows me that we can do something."
Big Men Impact
The length that the Wizards offer extends beyond the frontcourt after Kyshawn George pointed to the Wizards having “big guards” that puts added pressure on opposing teams.
“You’ve got to make the first shot because you know you’re not getting it back," George said.
For a team that ranked dead last in rebounding differential one season ago, the third consecutive season the Wizards have ranked bottom three in the category, it's easy to understand why the offseason commitment from Keefe and general manager Will Dawkins has translated into an emphasis during training camp.
George pointed to defense, rebounding and taking care of the basketball as areas he's focused on for himself, but the arrival of Anthony Davis and Deandre Ayton paired with Alex Sarr in the frontcourt offers immediate benefits to the rest of the roster. “It feels good to have that layer of protection – extra layer of protection now," George said.The added size along the roster allows the backcourt to “play higher, use our physicality" with a variety of lineups that can offer different scoring and defensive matchups.
Yet with the commitment to improving on the glass, an area even Tre Johnson said he's prioritizing in year two, the added size gives confidence that a turnaround will materialize on the glass in 2026-27.
“We are bigger. We have more size, versatile, built to protect the rim well, rebound better," Keefe said.
Anthony Davis Impact
Joking that he's felt being the impact of being veteran in the locker room having already drawn nicknames like 'unc', 'OG' and 'old head' among others, this week has offered the next chance for the ten-time All Star to get comfortable with his new teammates. Yet his presence has also given the roster another resource to lean on for advice after Keefe pointed to Davis as someone who "wants to lead, wants to help, wants to help people grow.”
George pointed to Davis bringing a “calmness” to training camp, but the knowledge and experience he's able to share with a roster that has largely yet to experience postseason -- let alone consistently winning --NBA basketball. Davis is looking to change that in his first season with the organization.
"We’re not here to play meaningless basketball, we’re playing meaningful basketball now,” Davis said ahead of Thursday's open practice inside Capital One Arena.
“We’re going to give our fans something to cheer about. We’re going to go come in every day with the mentality of being great, pushing each other. And if we continue to do that, we’ll put ourselves in a position to be successful and shock the world.”
Injury Update
Head coach Brian Keefe noted there were no changes to the injury status from Tuesday's practice with Tristan Vukcevic (hip) and Khris Middleton limited alongside Alex Sarr, in addition to Jamir Watkins (ACL) not participating. Keefe noted that Middleton was a participant in all non-contact drills as the team ramps him up.
