Washington Wizards’ Tomas Satoransky Struggling To Find Footing In NBA
By Ben Mehic
Washington Wizards guard Tomas Satoransky entered the NBA expecting to make an immediate impact, but he’s struggled to find his footing.
Hundreds of fans showed up to watch the Washington Wizards practice before the season began at Virginia Commonwealth University. Almost everyone who showed up in Wizards gear wore a John Wall or Bradley Beal jersey.
The fans who arrived to watch the Wizards put on an exhibition were aware of the team’s stars.
But Tomas Satoransky – a rookie who played in Barcelona prior to agreeing to a multi-year deal with Washington in the summer – stole the show.
Satoransky glided through the air, throwing down numerous Slam Dunk Contest worthy jams, making those in attendance wonder how such an athlete could go undiscovered.
The 6-foot-7 point guard was relatively unknown after being selected in the 2012 NBA Draft, but seemingly had all the tools to become a contributor at the next level. His height, coupled with his elite court vision, made him an NBA-ready prospect right from the get-go.
In the preseason, Satoransky did enough to earn the backup point guard role behind Wall.
On October 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers, he led the team to a victory, totaling 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
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Once the season began, though, the entire second unit appeared to be fatally flawed and Satoransky’s presence did not help.
Washington’s second unit is last in scoring and field goal percentage, making Satoransky’s primary skill – his passing – almost irrelevant.
Without a legitimate scoring option, Brooks was forced to make a switch and swapped Satoransky out of the Washington Wizards’ lineup for Trey Burke, who’s averaged double-digit points in his career with the Utah Jazz.
Burke, like Satoransky, has had his moments, including a recent 27-point explosion against the Brooklyn Nets.
Given the team’s need for scoring, Burke has remained ahead of Satoransky in the team’s rotation. Satoransky has appeared in just two of the Wizards’ last seven games, receiving garbage-time minutes against the Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
The team’s second unit is constructed in a way that Satoransky’s talent cannot be utilized properly. Similar to Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre, Satoransky is best when he’s playing alongside the starters in spurts.
While he’s a capable passer, Satoransky has done a solid job of moving without the basketball, giving the team’s main creators an option.
The problem is, Satoransky’s scoring output has been massively underwhelming.
Per-36 minutes, Satoransky has averaged less than 8 points per game. To make matters worse, he’s struggled to knock down shots from the perimeter.
He’s made less than 40 percent of his total shots and 10 percent of his looks from beyond the 3-point arc. Since he’s been an unreliable catch-and-shoot target, it’s made it even more difficult for Satoransky to get time with the starting five.
Athleticism and flash, at least in the NBA, aren’t as valuable as versatility and shooting. Satoransky has the former, but he lacks the latter.
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Unless Satoransky could consistently be a threat offensively instead of relying on his passing every time he touches the ball, he’ll have a difficult time ever cracking Brooks’ rotation again this season.