Wizards 116, Kings 111
Q. AG, I'm curious what you think of the young players that BK has decided to close with over the last few games like AJ, JT Thor, Tristan, those guys. What do you think about how they've been handling that role?
ANTHONY GILL: I think we all can see that they're handling it pretty well. There's ups and downs to the season. For us, we're trying to finish the season strong, and those are the guys we're going to go with.
They didn't have a chance throughout the first part of the season, so now it's their chance to show what they can do, how they can contribute to the foundation moving forward. So they're doing a great job, unbelievable job. Couldn't be more proud of them.
Q. This is the first time I think we're speaking with you since AJ has taken off. With him specifically, what have you seen from him? What do you like?
ANTHONY GILL: Super talented guy. He works extremely hard. This guy is in the gym always. He's soaking up every piece of information that you give him. He's going to be a great player in this league. I think there's really no choice for him other than to be great. He has the athletic ability. He's gaining the knowledge of the game. His upside is unbelievable.
Q. You have a pretty unorthodox role as far as NBA players go. How would you describe your role with the Wizards?
ANTHONY GILL: I'm a servant. I love to be here for the guys in any way I can, be here for the organization any way I can be here for them, try to uplift anyone that I see around the facility. So my role is just to serve as many people as I possibly can in a positive way.
Q. What does it take to have that mentality when you're not getting in games consistently, when playing time can vary so much game to game?
ANTHONY GILL: I mean, we have unbelievable guys on this team, unbelievable people in this organization. So it makes it easy for me to come here and want to be around people and want to help people. We don't have guys who you kind of dread going around. Everybody here is super positive, even throughout this season that we're having where we're not having that much success in the wins/loss category.
But we're having a lot of success behind closed doors that most people don't see. So when I show up to work, it's just easy for me to come here and just serve my teammates as best I can.
Q. With such a young team, how have you approached mentorship and how has it changed since early in your career?
ANTHONY GILL: I honestly don't see it as mentorship. I just love to go through life with people. I have a chance right now to go through life with some guys who are really young. We have some older guys on the team, too, and I get to go through life with them, as well. I learn a lot from the young guys. They may learn some things from me. But really it's a partnership, and we're just here trying to get better every day.
Q. You had a really nice game tonight, and you had some nice plays today, especially the put-back early in the game. What does it feel like to be thrust into the game in a situation like this and also contribute to a win?
ANTHONY GILL: It feels great just to be on the court in general. I am a basketball player. We're all here for a reason, and that's because we can play basketball at a high level. So when I get that chance to go out there on the court, I just want to give everything I have. Some cool plays happened tonight. I was very thankful for that. Ultimately we got the win, and can't complain.
Q. AG, what do you think about how the way the team closed out today's win says about the group?
ANTHONY GILL: I think it says a lot about the future of this organization. If we can finish the game like that against a team who is fighting for the Playoffs and we're a team that has nothing to lose right now, we're a team that's fighting for a foundation, fighting for something that's going to be bigger than ourselves in the future, I think that our future is bright. It says a lot about the team. It says a lot about the guys that we have, the organization, the pieces that they put together, our training staff, our strength and conditioning staff, our analytics. Everyone does a great job of working together as a team, and we're building something special here.
Q. What do you think about Alex Sarr just from being around him for a whole season?
ANTHONY GILL: Alex Sarr is my guy, man. He's gotten so much better throughout this year. I think having the ability to play in these games and be able to make mistakes, be able to have plays, flashes that he can show himself, oh, I can do this at a high level, he's going to be a great player in this league, and just watching him grow throughout this year, I'm excited to see what he's going to do in the future.
Q. How did you feel about JT Thor's last shot? What were your thoughts on that?
ANTHONY GILL: I was so happy when he hit that. He had not really contributed offensively in the stat sheet. I don't think he hit a shot before that. That was a big three for him. I could see it on his face, the fact that he hadn't scored. It was weighing him down a little bit. But when he hit that shot, I think I was a little bit too excited. I'm glad they called the time-out so I could kind of celebrate with him for a little bit.
But it was great to see that. Again, speaking to the young talent that we have on this team, the sky's the limit for us really with all the young talent that we have.
Q. Do you give any advice when guys are going through shooting slumps like that, the young guys, or nothing is hitting? Can you give us some insight if you can?
ANTHONY GILL: Yeah, I always just tell people to stay with it. There's going to be games like that. You can't think too much into it. I myself have to say the same thing to myself. If I miss a shot, I'm really hard on myself, and the one thing I always tell myself is there's going to be another one, and when that opportunity comes you need to be ready for it. I always say the same thing to those guys, as well.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports