Wizards’ Gortat tells teammates to bulk up
It turns out that John Wall is not the only one stirring the pot in Washington.
Speaking during his exit interview on Sunday after the Washington Wizards’ six-game loss to the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs, center Marcin Gortat called out a pair of his teammates over their lack of bulk.
“You’ve got to lock him in the weight room for a good four months,” he said of starting forward Otto Porter Jr, per Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. “He’s got to gain at least 10, 15 pounds. And I think he’s going to be at least twice better player.
“Skillset-wise, he’s unbelievable. He’s got everything. He can rebound. He can shoot the ball. He can post up. He can pass. He can definitely defend, if he’s healthy,” Gortat added. “As I told him and told Kelly [Oubre Jr.], they’ve both got to improve in the weight room. They’ve got to get into the weight room.”
The 34-year-old Gortat then hinted that he did not have much improving to do himself over the summer and indicated that he would not be working to add a three-point shot to his arsenal.
“This summer, I’m going to work on my tan,” he continued. “I’m going to work on my six-pack. Get my bicep definition a bit better. You can’t improve three-point shooting. You can’t improve your shot, specifically for me.’
Gortat’s advice may very well benefit Porter and Oubre, who are each listed at 205 pounds. But he is hardly in a position to preach after a subpar year where he averaged 8.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, his lowest numbers since becoming a full-time NBA starter. When you couple that with the comments that Wall made during his own exit interview on Sunday, it is obvious that team chemistry is not a particularly strong suit for the Wizards right now.
