Oct 30, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (4) boxes out Detroit Pistons shooting guard Kyle Singler (25) during the fourth quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons won 113-102. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

After struggling for the past few games, Marcin Gortat bounced back last night versus the Detroit Pistons despite being matched up against one of the biggest front lines in the NBA. Prior to last night’s game, Gortat was visibly frustrated about his recent performances and even went out of his way to complain about his positioning on the floor. Gortat has been taking way too many 15-foot jump shots lately, and Randy Wittman made it pretty clear that he needs to roll harder to the basket. Instead of settling for jump shots against Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, Gortat utilized the pick-and-roll with John Wall and set the tone early on for the Wizards.

He finished the game with 16 points and 7 rebounds in just 27 minutes of action. Drummond, who’s had multiple dominating games this season, was completely taken out of the game by Gortat. The Polish Hammer picked up 2 blocks on the night, but he really helped stabilize Washington’s defense which eventually went on to win by 24 points.

Virtually all but one of Gortat’s shots came at the basket, which opened up the floor for players like Trevor Ariza and Bradley Beal out on the perimeter. John Wall has never played with a big man that relies on the pick-and-roll as much as Marcin Gortat since he came into the NBA and he’s progressively gotten better at it this season. Wall had a tendency to make quick passes in those situations, but he’s become more and more patient with keeping his dribble alive when running that play with Gortat. Gortat had the best season of his career with Steve Nash in Phoenix just a few years ago, and John Wall has been able to recreate some of that same productivity we saw with the Suns.

Gortat has been one of Washington’s most consistent players on both sides of the floor, so it’s nice to see him bounce back against a team like Detroit after struggling a bit this month. The Wizards will play the Pistons again on Monday in Detroit and they’ll need Gortat to continue what he started last night in the nation’s capital.