It could take some getting used to for Trevor Ariza in Washington DC. So far, the adjustment has been somewhat of a struggle for the most experienced and accomplished small forward on the Wizards roster. Ariza started in the first two preseason games for the Wizards, but with uninspired performances, he was recently benched for Martell Webster.
Ariza still ended up playing more minutes than Webster in Saturday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but both players finished with seven points on the night. Ariza has been seen giving up open shots to dish it to teammates with a worse look. There were some forced jumpers that he should have passed on, and Ariza had six turnovers in his debut against Charlotte. He was even called for traveling twice, and missed 12 of 15 total shots against the Bobcats and New York.
It's been a long road for Ariza since the glory day with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won an NBA Championship in 2009. Now, with the Wizards facing so much misfortune with injuries and inconsistencies, the eight-year veteran is going to have to make adjustments to solidify a new role.
This was Ariza in a Washington Post article:
"It's definitely tough that it hasn't been so fluid," Ariza said. "I want to play good. I want to win, but good thing it is the preseason and we have time to work out the kinks, but we still want to play good throughout those situations."