Cavaliers 130, Wizards 126
Q. You got extensive time tonight guarding both Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. What did you learn from that experience?
JAMIR WATKINS: I mean, those are two great players that I respect in the league. I think it just shows that I've got respect, I've earned respect from the coaches and trust to leave me out there and guard guys like that.
Q. How gratifying was it just to have the game that you had also with what you did on the offensive end?
JAMIR WATKINS: I think it goes back to my work. Just give credit to my coaches, them helping me out. We've got a lot of development that goes on, so just shouts out to them. We work really hard when nobody sees, and I think today just showed it.
Q. The last couple of years Bilal getting similar assignments to what you got tonight has said after that rookie season he had to learn how to not respect the guys on the other side in those matchups. Do you have that similar mindset even though it is only your rookie season, just to kind of turn off, I've watched these guys play as I've come up but now I have to not respect them in a way to be able to have that "dawg" mentality?
JAMIR WATKINS: I would say I respect their game as far as them being able to score. I know Donovan, he averages 30 or whatever, so I've got to have some sort of respect to understand that they can go off any type of night. Just me guarding, understanding that they're great players, and just staying in front.
Q. As much as the coaches have put the scouting report, tendencies of guys, if you can take us into the mindset of how difficult it is to try and defend and lock down these star players or at least keep them at or under their average? What goes into that, to have the mindset to dig in every single possession?
JAMIR WATKINS: I would say really just discipline, staying disciplined. Both Mitchell and Garland draw a lot of fouls, so just being disciplined, locking in on the scout, and just trusting your teammates to have your back. They come off a lot of ball screens, so you've got to be disciplined. They draw a lot of fouls off those ball screens and get a lot of calls, so really just stay disciplined.
Q. You talked about the development stuff. What are the things that you're trying to focus on, and what are the things that the organization has helped you with the most that have helped you so far?
JAMIR WATKINS: I feel like we're on the same page as far as what I need to get better at. That's guarding, sliding my feet, staying in front of some of the best guys in the NBA, and just knocking down open shots and just allowing my role to -- allowing myself to just star in my role. Really that's it.
Q. How do they help you with improving as a defender?
JAMIR WATKINS: Really just guarding. We've got a lot of -- we call them cap guys, coaches that are assigned to help us and stuff, so just guarding them. Being able to guard guys like CJ, Khris Middleton in practice, that helps a lot. We've got a lot of good players that I'm able to guard and just learn from to test my discipline, and that helps me a lot.
Q. You had a really good performance on both ends tonight. How do you keep that high intensity on both ends of the court? Is that something that's come naturally to you since college or have the Wizards helped you during the course of the season?
JAMIR WATKINS: I would say starting in college, I played a lot of different roles, from VCU to Florida State. I played a lot of different roles. I played three-and-D, similar at VCU, then Florida State I was put in a bigger role. Me just being able to play multiple roles, I think the Wizards know that, so they can put me at any position and I can come out.
Q. What about the NBA has caught you by surprise so far?
JAMIR WATKINS: Probably the pace. Just the pace of the games, momentum is a big factor of a lot of games, so just staying in the game. You can be down 20 in the fourth quarter and end up coming back. Runs are a big thing in the NBA, so really just the pace.
Q. The block you had that led to the Will Riley alley-oop was a heck of a play. How would you describe that sequence?
JAMIR WATKINS: I would say that's a great sequence. It kind of explains how practice goes, how we want to play fast in transition, so I'm sure BK loved that play.
Q. What's one thing defensively that is different from college to the NBA that you didn't realize before coming to the NBA?
JAMIR WATKINS: Probably the respect that certain players have, so you've just got to be able to deal with some calls. You only get one challenge, so they're not going to -- depending on who you are, they're not going to keep challenging plays. So just being disciplined on defense.
Q. Especially with the Go-Go stints that you've had, what has Coach Topp told you what they want to see from you??
JAMIR WATKINS: So Topp, he just explained to me about how he had multiple guys that he put in great positions from them listening and just having an open ear. So he knows what he's talking about. So me just having an open ear listening to him, it's a blessing for me to be able to have him as a coach in the G-League.
Q. The shot looked very repeatable tonight. I was wondering what you've done to put the work in to get that shot where it does look repeatable all the time?
JAMIR WATKINS: Like I said earlier, I think it's a shout out to my coaches, the coaches in my circle. We put a lot of work in and prepare for moments like these and just stay ready. We've got a lot of guys that -- we have stay-ready games, so we prepare a lot. I think tonight it just showed up.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports