Wizards 115, Trail Blazers 111
Q. Tre, can you talk about how it helps the team to have a guy like Alex who can get 29 points and six blocks in a night on any given night?
TRE JOHNSON: It helps a lot, especially just allowing us to pressure the ball even full court. Just knowing he's down there, just knowing he going to either alter the shot or get the block. We just got to make sure we boxing out his man so his man not getting the rebound.
Q. And thoughts on being a Rising Star in your first year?
TRE JOHNSON: Excited just for the experience, to be out there to be honest. Just blessing I would say.
Q. What did you think about the stop that Jamir got on Shaedon Sharpe down the stretch there?
TRE JOHNSON: Huge stop. Huge stop. We all know him as a defender. We knew he was going to end up coming up with the stop regardless, but it was just huge. Coming in, I don't even know how many minutes he played in the fourth or if he did play the fourth, but as soon as he got his number called, came on the court and got a stop.
It was huge.
Q. I asked Alex about his battle with Donovan Clingan and he said it was very physical. What did you see from those two tonight?
TRE JOHNSON: Yeah, for sure was physical. I feel like Cling got a few rebounds, few tip-ins or a few buckets off Alex having to go help and us not being there to help him out.
I feel like he for sure held his ground today or tonight.
Q. You had a bucket I think in the second quarter where you (indiscernible); hit a floater?
TRE JOHNSON: Yeah.
Q. Take me through that play.
TRE JOHNSON: He just came off, was trying to turn the corner, took it away. I was just going -- it was fast but I was still debating if I wanted to -- because I know I was going to create space regardless, but debating in my mind if I want to just go head and shoot this side step three or just go ahead and try to attack.
I chose to attack, and next thing I knew, Deni is standing right there; got get around him somehow.
Q. Was that the tallest player you had to hit a floater over you think?
TRE JOHNSON: He taller than Alex?
Q. Yeah, I think I probably an inch maybe.
TRE JOHNSON: Yeah, guess so then, yeah, or Wemby.
Q. Overall tonight, did you make an extra effort to get in the paint and go out -- I guess overall going forward are you making paint touches an increased part of your game offensively you think?
TRE JOHNSON: I wouldn't say that's like a main focus, but I feel like if I could shoot the pullup in the paint or get like a floater off in the paint and then having to shoot it like at the free throw line against like a better percentage shot, even though pullups aren't too highly smiled upon I guess.
So I feel like if I'm able to touch the paint it'd be better?
Q. Tre, highly efficient shooting game from three. What does the work look like behind those type of shots?
TRE JOHNSON: Just making sure everything is consistent. Even with my movement, getting my feet up under me in the follow-through, just keeping the same -- I guess trying to hold my release.
Feel like especially going back watching the Charlotte game I felt like I left a lot of points on the table, especially a lot of threes just pulling my release early, even though it felt good.
So just trying to make an effort, conscious effort to hold my release. I feel like that's going to help me out, especially -- probably not next few games, but for sure in the future.
Q. Some of the shooters that you grew up watching that you wanted to emulate?
TRE JOHNSON: I really wasn't watching too many shooters. Like I would watch like Klay, how he doesn't really have to dip the ball to shoot. Everything he does can stay above his chest.
That's probably the main guy I watch shooting I would say. Or Ray Allen's footwork. My dad used to have me watch a lot of Reggie Miller, how he used to come off screens and move and stuff like that, but that's probably about it.
Q. Have you been told who is on your Rising Stars team yet and what team you're on?
TRE JOHNSON: I had saw like a little picture but I ain't even look at it. Just saw blue team.
Q. (Indiscernible.)
TRE JOHNSON: Oh, okay.
Q. Aside from Alex, do you want to know who else you're playing with?
TRE JOHNSON: Yeah, that is fine.
Q. Kon Knueppel, Ajay Mitchell, Cam Spencer, Jaylon Tyson and Kel'el Ware. You feel like that --
TRE JOHNSON: You said Kel'el and Alex?
Q. Yeah.
TRE JOHNSON: Oh, yeah. That's over. It's over. Over. Feel like that's a pretty good team, especially at the rim. I mean Alex having somebody tall beside him, able to stretch the floor a little bit, I know you're excited about that. I feel like it's going to be fun.
Q. I know about the footwork. You just mentioned Reggie Miller, Ray Allen. Was there something specific about the footwork that your dad wanted you to notice that you have -- it's kind of been like in the back of your head every single day but now is that second nature thing you don't realize you're doing it anymore?
TRE JOHNSON: I feel like he was showing me more how to get their feet balanced or up under them I feel, and the speed they're going to, feel like going full speed and still find a way to get balanced.
I kind of take that into like my own thing. Like once my feet got to a certain spot or certain placement, I feel like everything else -- no matter how I was leaning, left or right or off balance, I feel like I was pretty good to get the shot off.
Q. Had there been a shot -- because we see you take these shots and to us even though we see you put the work in it's still like, wow. Has there been a shot this season that you have taken that has surprised you even though you know the work you put in to take these shots?
TRE JOHNSON: I wouldn't say that surprised me. Sometimes I re-watch it. Some of the shots I shoot in transition in those corners, those are kind of crazy because like the situation of it. Sometimes you battle past and I just dribble and shoot it. I feel like that's the only one.
In game? Nah, I don't really think so. Sometimes in my mind I already have it made up. Like I'm fixin' to shoot it, to be honest with you. Not going fake it.
Like because it's a crazy shot to others because probably don't work on it, but you got to think the defenders thinking the same thing. So if I'm shooting it with no hand in my face, to me it's just a regular corner three. To them it's like, ah, we in transition. This could have been the best shot we was going to get. Or not.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports