Breaking down the Wizards

By Mike Jones (Contact) | Wednesday, October 29, 2008

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No. Name Pos Age Ht Wt College

0 Gilbert Arenas PG 26 6-4 215 ArizonaSkinny: Played only 13 regular-season games last year because of knee surgery, averaging 19.0 points and 5.1 assists. He will miss at least the first month of this season while recovering from a third knee surgery, but if he can return, the Wizards can be a dark horse.

1 Nick Young SG 236 6-2 00 USCSkinny: Averaged 7.5 points in 15.4 minutes a game as a rookie. Will be asked to take on a larger scoring role - which should come naturally for him - this season, especially while Arenas is out. Showed his potential last season when he erupted for 27 points in 31 minutes against his hometown Lakers.

2 DeShawn Stevenson SG 27 6-5 218 Washington Union HSSkinny: The most durable player on the team, Stevenson owns the league's second-longest consecutive games streak at 250. Last season he averaged 11.2 points a game and ranked second on the team with a 3-point shooting percentage of .383. Also the team's top defender.

3 Caron Butler SF 28 6-7 228 ConnecticutSkinny: The team's best all-around player averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.2 steals last season and was selected as an All-Star for the second time. He missed 24 games last year and 19 the year before because of injury. With Arenas out, Butler again will be asked to carry a heavy load.

4 Antawn Jamison PF 32 6-9 235 North CarolinaSkinny: Jamison - like Butler - had a career year last season, averaging a team-high 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds while making his second All-Star appearance. He was rewarded in June with a $50 million extension. After straining his knee in the preseason, Jamison has returned to full strength.

5 Dominic McGuire SF 23 6-9 220 Fresno StateSkinny: After averaging 1.3 points and 2.0 rebounds a game in limited action last season, McGuire used the summer to add tools to his game in an attempt to show he can be the reliable backup to Butler the team desperately needs. He has improved his jump shooting and ball handling.

6 Antonio Daniels PG 33 6-4 205 Bowling GreenSkinny: After spending his entire career as a reserve, Daniels proved himself an efficient starting floor general, averaging 8.4 points, a career-high 4.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds a game. He's one of the toughest players on the team, gutting out the last leg of the season with a left wrist injury.

No. Name Pos Age Ht Wt College

9 Darius Songaila F/C 30 6-9 248 Wake ForestSkinny: Wizards coach Eddie Jordan views Songaila - who averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds last season - as one of his most reliable reserves because the Lithuanian is solid as a defender and doesn't try to play beyond his capabilities on offense.

12 Juan Dixon G 30 6-3 165 MarylandSkinny: Drafted 17th overall by the Wizards in 2002, Dixon returns for his second stint with the team after three seasons away. Because of his familiarity with the system and his professionalism, Jordan considers Dixon one of his most reliable reserves.

14 Oleksiy Pecherov F/C 22 7-0 234 UkraineSkinny: The second-year pro was limited by a foot injury for the first half of his rookie season and had to play catch-up. He averaged 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds. Pecherov gives the Wizards a perimeter threat; he has never seen a 3-point shot he doesn't like.

17 Dee Brown PG 24 6-0 185 IllinoisSkinny: Brown enters his second year in the NBA and was acquired over the summer by way of trade with Utah. After spending last season in Turkey, he returns having improved his shot and abilities as a floor leader. He's the speedy change-of-pace point guard Jordan has long coveted.

32 Andray Blatche F/C 22 6-11 258 South Kent Prep (CT)Skinny: The Wizards are looking for the versatile Blatche to play a key role as a backup power forward, small forward and center. He averaged 7.5 points last season but in 15 starts put up 11.5 points. With Brendan Haywood out, the Wizards need consistency from Blatche.

33 Brendan Haywood C 28 7-0 263 North CarolinaSkinny: Coming off a career year in which he averaged 10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, Haywood tore ligaments in his right wrist on the next-to-last day of training camp and will miss four to six months while recovering from surgery.

34 JaVale McGee C 20 7-0 237 NevadaSkinny: The Wizards selected McGee with the 18th pick of this summer's draft but did not expect him to be able to contribute right away. But he has proved to be a quick learner during the preseason, averaging 10.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.43 blocks.

36 Etan Thomas C 30 6-10 260 SyracuseSkinny: After missing all of last season following heart surgery, the Wizards had expected to bring Thomas along slowly. But he had a solid training camp and looked strong and explosive during the preseason. With Haywood out, Jordan has tabbed Thomas as his starting center.

- Mike Jones

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