Nuggets 107, Wizards 97
Q. Tre, both BK and Kyshawn said they liked the process you guys had on offense, the shots just weren't falling. What's your perspective on that?
TRE JOHNSON: Especially earlier into the game, like the first part, six or seven shots, all great shots from great shooters. Just didn't fall. I feel like that earlier, but our defense just helped keep us in the game.
Q. Seems like that's been the trend lately. Why do you think you guys have been able to raise your floor with your defense?
TRE JOHNSON: I think it's just the little wins. We know shots aren't falling, we know we're not scoring, but we know it's going to flip or turn at some point, and if we up our defense that will give us a better chance of staying in the game.
Q. As you head into the second half of your rookie season, what parts of your game are you getting more comfortable with that you might not have been at the start of the season?
TRE JOHNSON: I'd just say I know where my shots are coming from, to be honest. Just me working on where I'm going to get the shots from and me being able to just make sure I'm able to get to those spots cleanly, I would say, so it's not like a contested shot, but still be aggressive. I wouldn't say just one area.
Q. You obviously look comfortable on the court. I'm wondering if part of that comfort is a product of you getting consistent starts, or if you feel comfortable regardless of whether you start or come off the bench?
TRE JOHNSON: I don't think either one matters, to be honest. I just feel like just me playing, playing my game, playing hard and my teammates finding me is what's helped me.
Q. I asked Coach Adelman before the game about scouting a player with your confidence in your shot but also your ability to get your shot off from really anywhere on the floor, and he mentioned you and Kon Knueppel and the fact that that's what scouts are looking for now because of just the work you're putting in. Hearing that in your rookie season from coaches around the league, knowing that that's kind of what they're looking for with three-point shooters, how much pride do you take in your game that in your rookie season you can garner that type of response and respect from people?
TRE JOHNSON: I feel like that's just good to hear or know. But I kind of already had that in my mind that I was pretty different from other guys in the league I feel like just from the aspect of being able to shoot further from the court. I've seen it and realize that guys are actually coming out to guard me more, so that's even just giving us more of a gap, and it's creating shots for other guys. We've just got to make them and take the opportunity and take the time because we've just got to be able to see it. Guys are going to be out of rotation, out of position trying to stop me shooting a deep three, which isn't really a high-percentage shot, but we'll get a corner three just because somebody else has to help and he can't rotate.
Q. I wanted to ask you about the three-point shooting. You had one in the corner that was kind of fading out of bounds, you kind of wrapped it over your head and then faded it out of bounds from the corner. I wanted to ask you about your thought process behind that shot.
TRE JOHNSON: I was shooting it regardless. I was just waiting to get the ball. But J.C. had the ball. Especially in transition you're always looking for guys, so I knew if I just kept moving it, kept running, I didn't get it the first time, ran through to the corner, and he just put it there. You're not going to think I'm shooting the ball from that spot or that angle, so you're not going to be contesting before I shoot it, and it's just really a corner three, I think, at the end of the day, so I just shot it. I had made one before, so it helped.
Q. I don't know if this is the same shot, but there was one where you collected the ball, it was an off-target pass and it wasn't on time. When you're working on your shot in the gym, are you trying to simulate situations, imperfect situations like that? Does that make sense?
TRE JOHNSON: No, I'm not trying to do anything to that standard, I would say. But really just whenever I'm able to get my body squared up or get my chest to the goal, I feel like it's all the same shot no matter what happened previously. I feel like once my feet get set and I'm turned to the goal or even not turned, just once I find the rim in the air, it's all the same shot.
Q. Technically a nine-man rotation today, but AG got an extended run. I'm curious how that helps you guys out on the court, but I'm curious, has he helped you become a pro Wizard in your rookie season?
TRE JOHNSON: I feel like AG helps more off the court than on the court, even though he still does -- I feel like on the court I've been helping him out. You seen his defense lately? He's causing turnovers and stuff like that, just guarding me a lot. But no, AG helps. AG helps mainly off the court, just being a pro off the court because it's funny, like nobody sees it, but AG has probably best dressed in the mornings of practice, lives the farthest, gets the outfit prepared the night before, is the first one to the gym, and just all of those little things into it, just so he can get -- he wants to come to the gym first so he can do his workout and help with other guys. That's just the type of person he is.
So just finding and watching stuff like that, it's just amazing to me. So he just pushes me to be a better person, and he doesn't even know it.
Q. It seems like last year he was here and he was offering to drive people home --
TRE JOHNSON: Yeah, and he lives the furthest. That's what I'm saying. He lives farther than most of us, and he's willing to drive us somewhere else to get us there, and he's got four kids at home and a wife. That's just the type of person he is.
Q. Piggybacking off of that conversation, obviously of course it being your rookie season, what are things you've learned so far this season that you could share with someone that's studying your craft right now?
TRE JOHNSON: I'd say keep just working on your game and being smart with it. There's so many games and tight turnarounds that there's days I want to work out but I know it would be like playing a back to back basically. So just being smart about it but still being conscious of the work you put in, I would say.
Q. What have you learned from Trae Young just watching his game over the years and since he's come to the team?
TRE JOHNSON: Great passer. He has great IQ of the game, especially him seeing it from like a different lens now, not being on the court, so he really actually can see the floor whole I would say. He's just giving little bits and pieces to guys as you're coming out or during time-outs. I feel like just listening and paying attention because some of the stuff -- most of the stuff he's talking about, next play it'll be like open or kind of happen. So it's just like having another coach on the side, basically.
Q. If you could name one thing that you just want to improve at for the rest of the season, what would it be?
TRE JOHNSON: Consistency, I'd say, or just defense, one of the two. Probably the two biggest things on my mind.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports