Bryant and Payton tested positive for the new coronavirus and Mathews did not join the team for personal reasons, confirmed more people close to the players. It is unclear whether one of the three players will join the Magicians in Florida later on.
Asked at a virtual press conference for an update on players absent from the tests, coach Scott Brooks declined, citing the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
Bryant and Payton are far from the only NBA players to be positive for the virus – on July 2, the league announced that 25 of the 351 players had tested positive since June 23. Wizards players and team staff members were tested daily in the days leading up to their departure for Orlando. The players who made the trip were tested twice in the first 36 hours after their arrival on the bubble and were allowed to leave their hotel rooms only after both tests turned negative.
Several NBA teams have closed their practice facilities in the past few weeks after members of their parts traveling to Florida have proven positive.
With Beal (shoulder injury), Bertans (chose to sit outside) and Bryant staying home, Washington may be without three appetizers when it opens its eight-game regular season-end stretch against Phoenix on July 31, still doing more road to the arduous playoffs. The Wizards (24-40) are 5½ games behind the eighth seed of Orlando Magic and must enter four games of the eighth seed to force a play-in tournament for the playoff end point.
Bryant averaged 6.8 team rebounds and 12.1 points before the season ended in mid-March. Beal and Bertans scored an average of 45 points.
In Mathews’ limited minutes this season, he averaged 5.4 points and 1.3 rebounds. Payton averaged 3.9 points and 2.8 rebounds.
For the young team of players who arrived in Florida – 32-year-old guard Ish Smith and 33-year-old center Ian Mahinmi now represent the veteran presence of the Magicians – Thursday was the first day of five out of five, full contact basketball in almost four months.
Brooks said even without the missing players, the team was able to accomplish everything they wanted in their first test Thursday.
“We want to compete, we want to challenge each other and we want to have some fun. We will have – at least, we will be together for six weeks, “said Brooks.” There are many repetitions, a lot of practice time and many opportunities [for drills], a lot of outings that we can have off the field where we can really get to know each other and improve the team.
“The boys got into great shape. They’ve been in Washington for quite some time with our coaches, our staff and our performance team to put themselves in a position where they can get on the pitch for the first time and play five out of five and look pretty good. team. I’m impressed. I am proud of the staff. I am proud that the players do it because when you have a young team it takes a lot of discipline. “
In addition to the five active Wizards players staying at home, tip guard John Wall has not traveled to the bubble and is expected to continue rehabilitating the broken Achilles tendon as he divides his time between Washington and Miami.
