Brevin Knight could have pouted or complained. After all, it couldn’t have been easy for a proven veteran of six seasons to find himself on a new team and buried on the bench.
But the Washington Wizards have been through a number of changes to the lineup, especially at point guard, where an abdominal strain to Gilbert Arenas forced coach Eddie Jordan to try Chris Whitney and rookie Steve Blake to help the team get into an offensive flow.
But with Arenas on the injured list again — this time for at least three to six weeks — after re-injuring his troublesome abdomen, Jordan is calling on Knight.
“Brevin’s going to be the guy,” Jordan said yesterday, expressing confidence in his new starting point guard one day after Knight helped the Wizards end a four-game losing streak with a 94-87 win over Philadelphia in his first start. “He’s kept himself ready all year. He’s such a professional, and now he’s going to get his chance.”
Knight’s role in the Wizards’ first Atlantic Division win of the season appears minute considering Larry Hughes scored a season-high 43 points and Kwame Brown, also reinserted as a starter, posted a double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds).
Knight scored just two points and was 0-for-3 from the floor. More important, though, Knight finished with a team-high six assists, got the Wizards into their offense and played tough defense to help Washington hold the league’s leading scorer, Allen Iverson, to 15 points on 7-for-21 shooting.
“What he gives us is a whole lot more than 0-for-3 and two points,” Jordan said. “He looks to attack, and that’s offense. We practice fast-break offense, and that’s what we’d like to do. That’s how you get easy baskets, when the defense is not set.”
Before Saturday’s victory, Knight played sparingly. Most of the time he came in when games already were decided. It was not exactly the scenario a player wishes for, especially one in the final year of his contract.
But Knight has worked hard since he was acquired from Phoenix for Jahidi White in early November. Before each game Knight and another hardworking vet, Mitchell Butler, are usually among the first players on the court. They put themselves through shooting drills to guarantee their readiness.
“You just come to work every day,” said the 5-foot-11 Knight, who averages 3.1 points and 2.6 assists. “You come to practice. You practice hard. If you have to get in some extra conditioning, you get that in. You get in your shooting because you have to be ready when you’re called on. That’s the way my attitude is. And I’m going to go out here and do the same things I was doing when I wasn’t playing much.”
Brown played strong against Philadelphia, including a heady pass out of a double-team late in the game that led to a Jared Jeffries’ dunk. Although Brown enjoys having the additional offense Arenas brought to the team, he likes Knight’s more conventional pass-first style.
“Brevin really sets the tone,” Brown said. “Sometimes I think Gilbert comes out and if he’s on, it’s good. If he’s not and he takes those wild shots, then everybody tends to go wild. You get the ball and it’s like, ’Oh, it’s my turn to shoot.’ Brevin doesn’t do that, so you know it’s going to be more of a controlled game.”
The only person Knight griped to about his lack of playing time was his father, whom he visited last week after Melvin Knight had emergency surgery in New Jersey. Melvin, who Knight says is doing much better, gave his son some advice.
“I was talking to my dad and told him that I wish I had the chance to play,” Knight said. “He just told me when I do get an opportunity to play that you better be ready to play.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.