Jan Vesely is playing reasonably and showing signs of improvement. He is continuing to demonstrate a high basketball IQ, a willingness to play team ball, active hands, intensity and hustle. He is playing well rounded, with similar scoring, rebounding and assist numbers. He is doing all of the little things right.

Every winning basketball team needs that type of player, starting or off the bench. They tend to have good NBA careers. I actually love that type of player and they tend to become fan favorites.

But let’s be clear. We had that player on our team late last year as well. And he wasn’t the sixth pick in the draft.

His name was Othyus Jeffers.

If you look at advanced stats, one could actually argue that Jeffers' played better based on almost all categories in less min/game.

(Please note, this graphic includes his 2010 Utah numbers, but that is due to a quirk at Basketball-Reference. If you only look at his numbers while in Washington, they are even better)

This isn’t to say Jan can’t get better. I expect him to. But we need to be careful to not grade Jan on the Wizard’s curve. Just because no one else seems to get the basics, doesn’t mean Jan is an absolute rock star yet. It doesn’t even mean he is coming close to justifying his draft position.

My point is we have the equivalent of Othyus Jeffers starting on our team. This says more about the team than Jan.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2011-2012 Washington Wizards.

What are your expectations of Vesely in the short term and long term? What criteria are you using to evaluate Jan Vesely?