Marcin Gortat on small ball: ‘I hate it’

Marcin Gortat smiled as he discussed the growth of teammate Kelly Oubre after the forward played a career-high 27.5 minutes per game this season. The Polish center couldn’t help but make a joke.

“I hope he really enjoyed playing as many minutes as he played, because he took my minutes, basically,” Gortat said.

Gortat’s joke, however, soon turned into a rant. The subject of his ire? The current popularity of “small ball” in the NBA — a trend that has teams taking traditional big men off the floor to play smaller players who can move, shoot 3s and stretch the court.

Over the past two seasons, the Wizards have joined the crowd — shifting Markieff Morris to the 5 to add another shooter, usually Oubre or forward Mike Scott.

“We run small ball, which is the worst thing that man could ever invent in this league,” Gortat said. “I hate small ball. Small-ball basketball in this league is just trash. I hate that.”

The movement doesn’t appear to be going away soon, either. To others, like Wizards guard John Wall, this is the way the sport is evolving.

That’s why, after being eliminated last week in the first round of the playoffs by the Toronto Raptors, Wall said the Wizards’ need to adjust.

Look at the teams remaining in the playoffs, and it’s easy to see what Wall means. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and New Orleans’ Anthony Davis define a new generation of 7-footers, mixing in the ability to stretch the floor and by being a rim protector. Even non-shooters like Houston’s Clint Capela and Utah’s Rudy Gobert are young and athletic.

The Wizards don’t have that.

At center, there’s Gortat and Ian Mahinmi — two veterans who are 34 and 31, respectively. Both are under contract for next season, with Gortat set to make $13 million while Mahinmi will be paid $16 million. Neither can shoot from deep, nor do they have the athleticism of an Embiid or Davis.

“It’s not throwing shade to anybody that is on our team because everyone that is on our roster gave everything they have to make it work and fit with the team,” Wall said, “but at the same time, when it’s not working and then you try and you try and you try and it keeps failing over and over, then you have to make certain adjustments and certain changes.”

Other centers have tried to adapt to the times. The Lakers’ Brook Lopez has worked on his game to gradually improve his three-point range. Lopez, who stands at 7 feet, went from jacking 0.2 threes’ per game in 2015-16 to 5.2 in 2016-17. Lopez has shot 34 percent from deep the last two seasons.

New Orleans’ DeMarcus Cousins underwent a similar change. He attempted a career-high 6.1 3-pointers per game this season, while he took just 0.1 per game in 2014-15.

Gortat, too, is a decent mid-range shooter, but don’t expect him to work on his corner 3s over the summer. The Wizards have resorted to using Gortat as the team’s primary screener, a role he’s still very effective in.

“You can’t improve 3-point shooting,” Gortat said. “You can’t improve your shot, specifically for me. I truly believe I’m a solid, good shooter up to 15, 17 feet. But I’m not going to shoot 3s. No, I’m not going to do that.

“I want to go into the paint. Body people. Be physical. Get scratches. Bleed. That’s how I made a living in this league for 11 years, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Gortat is entering in the last year of his contract. He was reportedly shopped at the trade deadline last season. His expiring contract will make him easier to trade, but Gortat said he hopes to stay in the District.

“I have a lot left in my tank,” Gortat said. “I know what I can bring to the table. Physically, trust me, I’m better than a lot of 20-year-old people in this league.”