By Saturday afternoon, the most demanding stretch of Tomas Satoransky’s career probably will come to an end.
John Wall appears likely to return to the Washington Wizards’ lineup as the starting point guard against the Charlotte Hornets. That’s a role Satoransky has held since late January, and the days and games have gone by in a blur.
“Is it 27?” Satoransky asked, repeating the active streak of games he has started.
“Nice,” he concluded. “It’s long.”
In fact, it is the longest stretch of starts and the second-most minutes (30.3 per game since Jan. 27) for Satoransky as a professional — even going back to the 2009-10 season, when he started playing overseas. Satoransky knows he soon will return to the bench, but the past 27 games as the Wizards’ lead guard have burnished him into a more confident player for a potentially deeper rotation.
“I was on the court during a tough situation, the situation where the game is tied,” said Satoransky, a second-year NBA player from the Czech Republic. “So I think it gave me a lot of experience with that. Also a lot of confidence.
“It was a nice run.”
[ Otto Porter Jr. injures ankle as Wizards fall to Pistons ]
Although the Wizards (41-34) have not made it official, several teammates and people close to Wall have pinpointed the afternoon matchup against the Hornets as the all-star’s comeback date. A win would clinch a playoff spot, something made possible because players such as Satoransky have stepped into greater roles.
As a starter, Satoransky has been a selective shooter (shooting 53.6 percent from the field and averaging 10.4 points) and a heady facilitator (6.0 assists). The numbers compare nicely with Satoransky’s best season as a professional, 2013-14, when he played in Spain and averaged 30.9 minutes, 12.4 points on 47.5 percent and 4.6 assists in 34 games.
“The thing I look at Tomas, he gives you so much effort,” Coach Scott Brooks said. “Every play [on] defense, offense, practice. He’s an effort player, and he’s played the right way.”
That effort must now translate to the second unit. When Washington finally is able to restore the order of its rotation, Satoransky’s minutes will decrease. Even though Wall, who has participated in full team practices since last Saturday, has been sidelined for two months, the expectation is that he will take on a reasonable amount of minutes once he returns.
In 39 appearances before Wall’s injury, Satoransky averaged only 16.2 minutes, and he knows that if his workload returns to that level, he will have to make a quick impact off the bench.
“But I’m looking forward to that,” Satoransky said, “and mostly I’m looking forward to have John on the court again. It’s good to have him back before the playoffs just to kind of settle down everything.”
Satoransky has experience playing with reserves Kelly Oubre Jr., Jodie Meeks, Mike Scott and Ian Mahinmi, and the hope is the bench can be an X-factor — and not an Achilles’ heel — in the playoffs.
“I think last year we didn’t do that good of a work from the bench standpoint,” Satoransky said. “And I think this year it might be different.”
Like anyone else concerned about the playoff race, Satoransky has checked the standings daily. In the current alignment, the sixth-seeded Wizards would start the first round in Cleveland against LeBron James and the Cavaliers — which is why Satoransky says the Wizards need to get on a winning streak and improve their seeding.
“Obviously, we have to still be trying to win the games to have the best position as possible. I think we can be anywhere from fifth to eight spot. … We can potentially still change [positions], so we’re still just going from game to game,” Satoransky said. “For me, still, Cleveland it’s not the best option for me. Personally.”
James-led teams have won 21 consecutive games in the first round, the longest streak in NBA history.
“He always steps up his level in the playoffs, and it’s very challenging to play him in the first round and he hasn’t lost a playoff game in … years,” Satoransky said. “It’s a stat, and stats are meant to be broken, but I would probably be pleased with a different matchup for us.”
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