After the success Washington experienced with Paul Pierce at stretch-four in the postseason, Jared Dudley is expecting to step right into that role for this upcoming season. As soon as Pierce left, the Wizards went out and traded for Dudley, who is a perfect replacement to fill the void left when The Truth signed with the Clippers.
Following From Washington Post.
“I expect [to play stretch four] during the season, to be honest with you. I’ve basically re-done myself, in the sense of ‘Hey, I am a stretch-four.’ I want to play stretch-four. I will play three. But we have threes. We have Otto Porter. And, yes, I can play three and, yeah, I will play a little bit. We have Alan Anderson, we have the rook. But that stretch-four, I think it helps me. I like to bang with some of the fours. I think where it helps me is with the pick and rolls. I’m going to get up, I’m going to hard hedge on these point guards that I know I can guard to help John Wall get back. When I come in for the second unit, I’m going to pick up full court and deny. I’m here to change the pace, to change the thing. And then you have John Wall out there, I’m here to space. I’m going to give you a couple extra steps where they’re going to have to worry about me up top and when they don’t, obviously I’m not someone who’s going to go by someone and dunk it. I’m going to go by, get in the lane, look for my teammates. That’s here to stay for me. The league has changed and that’s made my value higher, bringing the versatility like that.”
It’s obvious that Washington is looking to play small-ball next season, but nobody is sure exactly how much of this unconventional style they are going to be playing. Randy Wittman and his staff could save the strategy until playoffs again, but with the pieces they have added this offseason, that would be highly unlikely.
Dudley is in DC to play stretch-four, and there is no doubt about that. It’s great for the Wizards to hear he knows his role and is already working to recover from surgery so he can do exactly what is needed of him. The former Buck is going to be a great addition to this team.
