Ariza returns to a team he considers his family
Veteran re-enters starting lineup trying to provide consistency
ATLANTA — Trevor Ariza’s cellphone buzzed beside him as he sat and answered questions ahead of his Washington Wizards season debut. A personal photo of two children, presumably his own, lit up as the background when notifications appeared.
Family is paramount to the 33-yearold Ariza — his oldest son is named after his little brother, Tajh, whodied in 1996. So, Ariza isn’t the type to view his return to the Wizards organization as simply a mid-December basketball transaction.
“With my time here I made friends, I guess,” Ariza said, before correcting himself. “I don’t call them friends, I call them family. So you never fall out of touch with family. You always stay in touch. Find out how everybody is doing. So, being back here is almost like everything is just the same.”
On Tuesday, Ariza re-entered the Wizards’ starting lineup against the Atlanta Hawks as if nothing has changed since 2014. He scored 19 points, eight rebounds and six steals in Washington’s 118-110 loss.
During his last stint in Washington, Ariza filled in as the veteran with credentials, the one who could castigate John Wall when he felt the point guard was slacking and command attention on the perimeter as a lethal spot-up 3-point shooter.
These specific skills motivated Washington’s front office to be persistent in acquiring Ariza from the Phoenix Suns, even when a late Friday night 3-team trade fell apart following a bizarre mix-up between which Memphis Grizzlies players would be part of the deal. By Monday, the trade became official and though Ariza completed just one shoot-around practice with his new team, he was promoted to the starting five.
Ariza could thus use the advice he used to impart on then-rookie Otto Porter Jr. during the 2013-14 season.
“Always be ready,” said Porter, sharing the single biggest lesson he learned from Ariza, one of the handful of veteran teammates who taught him professionalism.
Ariza isn’t sliding right into the starting unit simply because Porter remains out with a Grade II strain of the vastus medialis. The Wizards need his presence, coach Scott Brooks said, and could use every element of his game immediately.
“We’re excited about having him. He brings a level of consistency. He’s been an effective player his entire career,” Brooks said. “He’s a very good 3-point shooter. Defensively, there’s enough that’s been said about it and it’s true — he’s one of the best wing defenders in the league. He plays solid. That’s what I love about him.
“I think he’s familiar with our group. Our guys are definitely familiar with him and they’ve had some success together.”
That success led to the Wizards’ first postseason appearance in the Wall era. In 2014, Washington defeated the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Although it might have seemed like a breezy five-game win, Wall remembers an intense series because of Ariza. Wall recalled a story about his playoff debut and the rebuke he received from an irate Ariza.
“I remember my first time in the playoffs, that year, he was like, ‘Every possession matters!’ There was one possession I didn’t get back. He about ripped a . . .,” Wall said, laughing at the memory and stopping himself to choose a different phrase. “You know what I mean. He ripped your chest apart because that’s how serious he is and locked into it.
“He’s one of those guys, his defensive intensity and what he brings to that side of the floor. It wakes everybody else up,” Wall said.