Veselý turning heads in NBA

After a slow start, while hobbled by injury, rookie Jan Veselý is beginning to find his way with the NBA's Washington Wizards.

While the team had the league's worst start to the season, suffering eight consecutive defeats, the Ostrava native, aka "The Dunking Ninja," himself was carrying a hip injury before eventually making his debut in the 92-73 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Jan. 8.

Veselý, 21, showed signs of nerves as he took two free throws, missing both attempts and putting up an embarrassing airball on the first.

"I'm just trying to play hard every game. I practice and work hard on the court because that's what I do and that's what I enjoy," Veselý told The Prague Post. "Some games you play good, and some you play bad. What matters is how the team is playing."

Fortunately, Veselý had an immediate chance to erase that memory as the Wizards hosted the Toronto Raptors two days later and an inspired performance from the seven-footer helped the Wizards earn a 93-78 win, their first of the season.

Right after the victory, Wizards assistant coach Randy Wittman found Veselý in the locker room, grabbed him by the shoulders and shouted, "Great game! Great game!"

Veselý took the court against the Raptors with the Wizards trailing by one point, but 10 minutes later, the Wizards led by 12.

"He did everything we needed him to do, and it was big," said teammate Trevor Brooker. "I'm sure his confidence is higher now. I hope it is, anyway."

It wasn't just the Wizards players and coaches who were overjoyed. Washington fans have found a new favorite as Veselý demonstrated why he is nicknamed "The Dunking Ninja" with two crowd-pleasing jams that brought fans to their feet.

After the initial frustration of the NBA lockout and injuries which hampered his start in Washington, Veselý is beginning to adapt to life in Washington on and off the court.

"Everyone has really tried to help me since I got here. I came here to help the team and they want me to help the team," Veselý said. "Everyone has supported me a lot."

 Life on the court is also providing the Czech rookie with another challenge as the frenetic pace of the NBA is a world away from the European game.

"I've been saying this a lot," Veselý said. "The difference is mainly the speed of the game. The players here are faster and stronger. There is also more one-on-one play here. It's something that I am going to have to get used to."

While the Wizards may have the worst record in the NBA so far this season, they registered their second win of the season Jan. 18 against one of the league's top teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder, winning the game 105-102 with Veselý making another favorable impression off the bench.

The Czech rookie helped himself to seven points, six rebounds and played strong defense as he was on court for the final 16 minutes of the win over the Thunder.

"Even though Jan didn't put up huge numbers, he did the best job we had anyone do as far as pick and rolls, helping out," said Wizards coach Flip Saunders. "So that's why he stayed out there."

Veselý knows he can't just rest on his laurels, despite the positive reaction from coaches and fans, and he is under no illusion on what areas he needs to work on.

"Shooting. I still need to work on my shots. Everyone can shoot well here so I have to work on that," he said.

Mark Smith can be reached at
features@praguepost.com