Garrett Temple may not be in Washington any longer, but that doesn’t mean he can’t help out his former teammates. Temple was tasked with being a locker room presence and “glue guy” for Washington while he played there, and a change of team won’t stop him from fulfilling that role for his friends after their disatrous start to the new NBA season.
After the Wizards’ 107-95 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday the Wizards were as dejected as ever. Their 1-6 start tied Cleveland for the worsts tart in the league this year, and the team with high hopes coming into the season is staring early failure right in the face. Star back-court pairing John Wall and Bradley Beal are the two most recognizable players on the team, and therefore the ones that hold the most responsibility for the team’s issues. Temple wanted to make sure they didn’t lose sight of what they can still accomplish.
“Just telling him to try to figure out a way to get this together,” Temple said of his conversation with Wall. “They have too much talent to, you know, have this record. He knows that. I was saying the same thing to John.”
Garrett Temple hasn’t played with the Wizards since 2016, but he still cites Beal and Wall as good friends. The Wizards’ locker room has been tumultuous to say the least since Temple left, so perhaps his presence was more important that originally thought. The Wizards still have plenty of time to turn it around, and maybe the encouragement from a one-time chemistry-builder will help them figure out exactly how to get back on track.
