Marcin Gortat is coming off one of the best seasons of his career last year when he was a borderline All-Star for a very good Washington Wizards team. After last year, Gortat came into this season with high expectations, but so far he hasn't played as well as many expected. The Wizards are 3-1 and coming off a great victory against the San Antonio Spurs, so there isn't much to complain about, but Gortat is not happy with his performance right now, according to Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.
The Wizards implemented a new, revamped offense this preseason that Gortat was excited about, and he thought it would suit him well. During the preseason Gortat excelled in the new system, but it has yet to transfer to the regular season. Part of the problem for Gortat is the fact that he isn't getting many shot attempts. Through the first three games he had only attempted 20 shots and was held to two in the first half of the game against the Spurs.
While Gortat has struggled, both John Wall and Bradley Beal have flourished so far this season, which means that Gortat could be getting fewer shots than a year ago. Last season Gortat attempted almost 10 shots a game, but so far this year it is down to 7.5, which would be the lowest it has been since 2010. Gortat, though, is not willing to blame the new offense or his teammates for his early-season struggles.
"I just got to wait for my opportunities," he said. "You know what? At that point I just can't depend anything. I can't depend anything. I'm playing bad. I'm just playing bad. I'm using a different word. I'm just playing awful. And to be honest with you, I can't be mad about anything. I appreciate, actually, that they kept me in the game and they keep throwing me the ball. I'm just in a big black hole right now so I'm just trying to get out of that."
Gortat is averaging 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds through the first four games, and those averages would be his lowest since he backed up Dwight Howard in Orlando in 2009-10. The 31-year-old center is not the type of guy that needs the ball in his hands, so it is a good bet that he will break out of his slump. It is worth keeping an eye on, though, as the new offense seems to allow Gortat fewer opportunities, but the fact that he thinks it suits him perfectly is a good sign that better days are coming.
