Trail Blazers 129, Wizards 121
RICHAUN HOLMES: I wouldn't say it was more so a focus. That's just kind of what I do, what I try to do going in, just try to play with the same amount of energy, try to be active defensively. Clint, he's tough, man. He's tough. He's going to be good in this league for a while. I enjoyed the matchup.
Q. Richaun, obviously you had a really good shooting night tonight. Do you think you've gotten better over the last couple years just in general on that end of the floor? Obviously you're known as a defensive player, but do you think you can really bring that nightly now?
RICHAUN HOLMES: I think this is really normally what I do. I just think people are getting adjusted to seeing me on the floor again and things of that sort. But this is really what I do, I feel like, playing off my teammates. They do a great job of dumping the ball off, trying to find open spaces, and just getting more comfortable with these guys. I definitely think that chemistry is coming in, and they know where to find me and I know where to screen for them, so it just keeps getting better and better.
Q. Do you feel better about your role now, now that you're playing more, or do you still feel like you have room to grow?
RICHAUN HOLMES: I've always got room to grow. Always. It's looking to get better on the defensive end as well as the offensive end. A lot of room to grow. Just want to keep going out there, doing the best I can to help the team win and continue to get better.
Q. What do you look back on with this game and wish that you guys had done better?
RICHAUN HOLMES: Portland is a tough team. I just wish we kind of did a better job of holding our poise, especially on offense down the stretch. Definitely rebounding the ball better is one thing.
But yeah, just kind of having to match their physicality. They're very physical, play very, very hard. I just feel like we did a good job matching them for the most part, but I just think we lost our poise down the stretch a little bit.
Q. As a veteran on this team, what's it been like with Marcus and Khris getting into the mix?
RICHAUN HOLMES: It's been great. Those two guys are two guys I've been looking at around the league. They've been on winning teams. Khris is a champion. It's great to have that in the locker room, have that experience, as well as guys who are still getting after it, playing hard whenever they step out there. It's a great example for our young guys. Me, as well.
Q. This is not your first time on a rebuilding team. You were in a similar situation in Philly for a little bit there. What lessons did you learn in that stretch, and how have you brought them here to Washington?
RICHAUN HOLMES: I think just the main thing is how hard you've got to compete in this league. I think when I was in Philly, that's one thing we kind of learned, how hard it is to win. The difference between winning and losing is so slight, and we see that on a night-in, night-out basis. I think that's just the main thing, how hard you have to compete every possession. You can't take a possession off, and just continue to pound away at it like that.
Q. On that note about competing, have you been instilling that into the rookies on the team? Have you been taking them under your wing, teaching them what it's like to compete?
RICHAUN HOLMES: These are competitive guys coming in, honestly. I just think me personally kind of telling them where the right spots to be at, letting them know where to be on defense, offense, just kind of more the technical things in the NBA. But those guys bring the compete every night.
Q. I'm curious what you think about them as a unit, Alex, Bub and Kyshawn. I don't want to ask you if there are any players you would compare them to, but what do you see from them in the early stages of their career?
RICHAUN HOLMES: I honestly see a special trio. I think I said something about it earlier in the year when they first started. Just special trio in D.C. You don't see guys that come in ready to play, ready to compete like that right away, have an NBA skill set, things that they can bring to the court, tangible things. Also wanting to get better every single day. They're the first ones in the gym, last ones to leave.
I mean, it's just a great group of rookies, and I think they're going to be great players in this league for years to come.
Q. I think it's maybe fair to say you're an undersized center, and there are a couple guys --
RICHAUN HOLMES: I don't like that, man.
Q. No offense. You're not undersized compared to anyone else in the world.
RICHAUN HOLMES: I get it. Clint, he's 7'2", man, so I get it.
Q. There are guys on the team, the younger guys, who play above their size, so to speak, like Bub Carrington. Do you see that same kind of chip on your shoulder that you have being undersized for your position in some of the other players on the team?
RICHAUN HOLMES: Oh, man, absolutely. Bub comes in with a chip on his shoulder. I think that you can see that he wants to get in there, do the dirty work, rebound, and do the things that's going to help us win, the little things. He's very, very tough, has a huge chip on his shoulder and definitely reminds me a lot of myself.
Q. You spoke on growth a little bit. What have you been working on in your game recently, and did you see any of that progress tonight?
RICHAUN HOLMES: I think just recently understanding where to be on the floor, just where my guys like to be, where they like to drive. I think having a better understanding and growing that chemistry, it's definitely coming to fruition. Like I said, they know where to find me. I know the angles to screen for them, where they want to see me at, where they want to dump the ball off, and we've just been building over the last few games. Hopefully it keeps getting better.
Q. You had a great game in the paint early on. When you went back to the bench, how crucial was it to just stay hot even when you weren't in the game?
RICHAUN HOLMES: I mean, yeah, that's something I always try to focus on. You see me over on the sidelines running back and forth, trying to stay loose. That's something you never really want to lose. You get warm in the game, you don't want to come out, sit down, get cold. I always just try to stay loose, keep my mind in the game and just follow everything, see what I can do better and go and attack it like that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports