“It teaches you how to be better and make moments,” he said. “It teaches you how to execute. Also teaches you how to prepare. So I’m really just excited about the opportunity to have some more growth moments together as a team.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

• Malik Reneau scored 19 points Saturday in 18 minutes off the bench to help the Magic defeat Boston and finish with a 4-1 record in the Las Vegas Summer League, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). The 6’9″ forward, who agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with Orlando following last month’s draft, was one of several players to see increased minutes as the Magic rested four rotation members. “I liked our aggressiveness,” Reneau said. “The way we came out on that defensive end, we got some stops and (were) able to run out and get some easy baskets in transition.”
• Wizards owner Ted Leonsis calls AJ Dybantsa a “next-generation prototype,” and his arrival has created a level of optimism in Washington that hasn’t been felt for a long time, observes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Teaming Dybantsa with Trae Young and Anthony Davis, who were acquired in trades last season, along with a solid core of young prospects, might make the Wizards a factor in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Young said the team will be holding workouts in Los Angeles this summer, and Dybantsa is eager to learn from his veteran teammates. “When you’re playing with a guy of that stature, I’ll definitely get easy shots from him if nothing else,” Dybantsa said of Young. “[AD] was the No. 1 pick many years back, so he’s been through a lot of the stuff that I’ve got to go through.”
• The Wizards don’t fit the profile of what LeBron James was looking for in free agency, but Davis revealed that he had “conversations” with his former Lakers teammate about coming to Washington (Twitter video link from Chase Coburn).