Despite diet jokes and comments on his smile, when
Nick Young (right) steps on to the court you have to be
ready to stop the guy.  But his ability to score 30 a night
off the bench comes from his offseason and daily work.
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Being a Washington Wizard is tough, and no, I'm not talking about the cloak-wearing, wizard-hat-owning, wand-totting, dice-rollers either.  I'm talking over 1,000 jump shots a day during the offseason, playing a fourth of the season with a herniated disk, and trying to prove your legs are still fresh after a series of three knee surgeries.

So what does it take to be a Wizard?  Daily exercise, weight training, practice, a little luck, and a check on your diet.

Recently Caron Butler, synonymous with straws and sodas, said he finally gave up those carbonated drinks.  Another famous case of diet is reserve guard Nick Young, whose "Bean Burrito" nickname is in keeping with the man's supposed off-court diet of fast food, something Wizards.com highlighted in a digital locker room flash back last February.

Obviously, diet is important, but in the NBA, weights and practice reign supreme.  After all, Caron was still drinking those sodas when he made the Top 10 last season. 

A great example of daily exercise and practice came from Brendan Haywood, who improved his free throw percentage from a dismal 54.8% in 2006-07 to an outstanding improvement of 73.5% in 2007-08.  The man hadn't shot better than 63.3% from the free throw line in his whole seven-year career and in 2007-08 he hit a career amount of makes-and-takes from the charity stripe, proving the work was legit.  He also finally proved himself as the dominant center of the team, winning a long time battle over rival and teammate Etan Thomas.

Haywood's journey began as early as the 2005-06 season, in which he revealed on a Wizards.com chat with fans that he was focused on improving his free throw shooting and his left hand.  However, while Haywood's efforts were dramatic, when it comes to journeys in the NBA, look no further than Gilbert Arenas. 

Owner of the Washington Wizards, Abe Pollin, simply wants an NBA Championship.  He told it to Antawn Jamison when they re-signed him, and he told it to Gil when they re-signed him, but while Jamison has remained the steady Iron Man of the Wizards, Arenas' knee problems have continued to keep him in rehab rather than on the court.  After this offseason of Summer League practice, where Arenas and others have participated in various Summer League competitions, Mr. Agent Zero looks to be near 100% again, but it's a tough call to make.

When Arenas was near 100%, and DeShawn Stevenson was 100%, times were good.  One-handed flat-footed three point shooting.  Jokes abound.  On October 30th, 2007, Arenas stated he felt 90% on his NBA.com blog.  Arenas would end up playing only 13 games over the 2007-08 season on that 90%.  Fast foward to this summer at Barry Farm, and Washington Post's Michael Lee called Arenas' play there 90%.  Even though Agent Zero was dunking the ball at will, it's hard to put a 100% on a man who has been through so many ups and downs in the last few years.

So what does it take to be a Wizard?  Well, you'll never be "100%" again, for starters.  Playing with pain will be common, you will need to (one day) cut out those nasty habits of eating fast food and drinking sodas, and if you want to improve on one aspect of your game it might take a couple years of straight training to get there.  Pace yourself, it's a long season ahead.

Here are a few games and training exercises you can do to keep your casual game fresh:

Finding Rhythm at the Line: When in doubt with your shot, go to the free throw line.  If you don't have rhythm at the free throw line, now is the time to find it.  Free throws aren't as important when you're playing a game of pick-up as they are when you are playing a game with officials, but the mechanics of a free throw, bending your knees and following through on your shot, will create a go-to to get you back in shooting form.

Center Aim: When you are warming-up, don't start launching threes right away.  Start close to the basket, in the paint, then work yourself back gradually, one step back at a time while facing the basket square.  Eventually you will be at the top of the three point arc, and once you feel comfortable there, you have your center aim down.  If your jumper isn't falling, and you can't use free throws to get you back in rhythm, try to set up a shot right in front of the basket to get your feel back.

Plus 1, Minus 2: This is one of my favorites, from Ray Allen.  Every jump shot make is 1 point, every miss is -2.  First one to 10 points wins, if you get to 0 you lose.  If you're practicing by yourself, once you get to 10 change where you're shooting from.  In the video, Allen focuses on the high post and baseline.  If you don't have someone to rebound for you, focus on the high post.

The Other Hand: You can only go so far using your dominant shooting hand, especially if you are focusing on playing in the paint or you want to improve your dribbling skills.  Working that other hand?  Not that easy.  If you want to gain more control of your off hand, repetition is the only answer.  Try short hooks near the basket until you feel comfortable, or short jumpers, using your body to create space between the defender and your off arm.  For dribbling improvement, dribble up the court from the three point arc with your off hand, cross-over behind your back so you can catch it with the same hand when you get to the basket then dribble back toward the three point line and repeat until you feel a little more confident.  Don't worry if it feels like a slow process.
 

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