Category: Wizards

It’s been nearly 2 weeks since the start of the NBA season and the Wizards were off to a hot start. The Wizards took down the 76ers, the Pistons and the Nuggets before dropping 2 straight to both the Lakers and the Warriors. As it sits the Wizards are currently in second place in the Eastern conference in this very young seasons. 5 games is a small but decent sample size to judge how this team is matching up against the rest of the NBA. Four quick thoughts on this very young NBA season as it pertains to the Washington Wizards.

1. The starting 5 are good, as good or maybe even better than any starting 5 in the NBA. The key to this offseason was the Wizards maintained a level of consistency. Of course a majority of the bench are new but the starting 5 is in tact from the 49 win ’16-’17 season and the most significant bench player in Kelly Oubre is still with the team. There is a big asterisk next to this thought because we have yet to see Markeiff Morris on the court, however there is no reason to believe he won’t be as good or possibly better than last year.  We have seen the starting 5 out play every team they have played this year and that includes the Warriors. Marcin Gortat, who was my biggest concern, is actually averaging slightly more points and rebounds per game than he was last year. Otto Porter is making over 55% of his field goal attempts, and John and Brad are playing like all stars, no doubt about it. John is averaging 22 points/game while Brad is averaging 20/game. If the NBA was only about the starting 5, I would crown the Wizards the NBA champs, however the NBA goes so much deeper than just the starting 5. Either way the starting 5 should be carrying this team deep into the playoffs.
2. The bench is slightly improved but still needs work. Jodie Meeks is averaging 9.6 points/game but he’s doing so much more than just that. He is hitting his shots when called upon, and playing smart, sound, basketball. Mike Scott and Tim Frazier are playing sub par ball right now. Mike Scott has only racked up 35 points in a 103 minutes played, 18 boards, 3 assists and 1 steal. Anyone can see the Wizards absolutely need more from him. Tim is making a whopping 23% of his shots and averaging 4.6 assists/game. While there is some improvement in the bench, at least Tim Fraizer is able to bring the ball up court without getting pressured and turning the ball over like Trey Burke was doing last year, but Tim has to find a way to truly spell John Wall in crucial mid-game moments. On our weekly wizards podcast Joe has already been talking about bringing in mid-season trades, lobbying for Kenneth Faried.

Photo Courtesy of abcnews.com

1. Suspensions are likely. In an all out skirmish Bradley Beal looked like he headlocked Draymond Green, when Green responded by tackling Brad off the court where it seemed like John Wall’s body guards stepped in to try and break up the fight. However the skirmish got worse, Kelly Oubre jumped in and looked like he tried to connect on anyone who was in the way, Morris and Carrick Felix left the bench to jump in on the skirmish. In the best possible outcome for the Wizards, Bradley Beal gets suspended for a game, while the others possibly get off. However it’s probably more likely that 4 Wizards get suspended for 1 game. Fair or not, we all know Draymond is a dirty player but the Wizards have to keep their composure. When asked about the incident Brad said “It’s unacceptable by me for sure. I’ve got to show better leadership and better control.” (Tweet from Candace Buckner of WaPo) The league should also suspend Omri Casspi for the kick to the groin of Otto Porter, I guess Draymond teaches that in practice.
2. The Wizards still play down to their competition. If you don’t know what I am talking about then you clearly didn’t stay up until 1:20AM on Thursday morning to watch the Wizards drop the game to the Lakers. This has been a crutch for the Wizards as long as I can remember, they simply play down to the competition of teams they should be running out of the building. On the flip side of this they do play up to the upper echelon of the league, see Warriors game.

In just 2 days the Washington Wizards will open up the 2017 -2018 preseason. While it seems that the NBA offseason has been about the super teams becoming more super. Teams one upping each other by bringing in more super star talent, the Wizards offseason has can be summed up in one word. Continuity. The Wizards are bringing back the core of the team, with all 5 starters returning, the Wizards are building chemistry, continuity and stability. Here are a few things to catch you up on all you need to know before the Wizards preseason tips on October 2nd.

Markeiff Morris is out 6-8 weeks to start the season. On September 22nd Markieff Morris under went sports hernia surgery and the initial timetable for return is 6-8 weeks. That will put Morris out of the regular season anywhere between 2-4 weeks. That means he is going to be out for about 7-14 games. The Wizards have to find a way to get production out of players like Mike Scott or Jason Smith. Or that could mean that Kelly Oubre gets extended playing time if the Wizards decide to go smaller with Otto playing more in the stretch four role. This isn’t necessarily ideal as it puts the Wizards in a tough test right out of the gate.

Otto Porter has bulked up. Porter was one of the thinner players on the Wizards last year, and it looks like he has been hitting the weight room hard this offseason. Judge for yourself on the picture below. This is by all means going to help Porter. After getting signed to a max contract this offseason Porter is due for a big year. Porter has had all the talent needed to make him a star in the NBA and this season is his year to prove it to the rest of NBA. Otto has been a rising star for the past 3 years and this year I think he takes that big step forward and solidifies himself as the third all-star on the team.  

2016 media day on the left and 2017 media day on the right. Courtesy of Rob Carr/Getty Images and Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images and bulletsforever

Tim Frazier may be the backup point guard we have been looking for. The Wizards have had a revolving door at the back up point guard spot. The Andre Miller, Ramon Sessions, Trey Burke, Tomas Satoransky, Brandon Jennings door seems to have been resolved, for now, with the signing of Tim Frazier. Tim has already built chemistry with John Wall and Bradley Beal and seems like he is set up to succeed here in Washington D.C. The key for Tim is to stay healthy. (Tim has already suffered a mild groin injury and will at least miss time in preseason) His best ability has to be availability.

Ian Mahinmi has slimmed down. After missing 51 games last year due to knee and calf injuries, Mahinmi has slimmed down this offseason in hopes of improving his overall health. The slimmed down version of Mahinmi will help in in the pick and roll defense and his (hopeful) improved ability to guard the perimeter. Mahinmi’s defensive presence should help the team. Again as with Tim Frazier, Mahinmi’s best ability has to be availability.

The Cavs are getting more superstars, see D. Wade. The Celtics are also getting more superstars, Kyrie and Hayward. The Wizards are staying put and building from within. While on paper everyone is going to be picking one of the 2 super teams, while the Wizards are going to be contending in the east. There is something to be said about continuity and the way that Coach Brooks develops players. The Wizards backcourt combo is one of the best in the league, Gortat seems like he found a new energy, and this team is going to be exciting to watch! We are so excited to be covering the Wizards this season! Let’s get excited #dcFamily!

As Wizards fans have come to expect, the NBA offseason is a time of chaos and dysfunction. Usually however, that involves Ernie Grunfeld paying Ian Mahinmi $64 million or Andrew Nicholson $26 million and then giving the Brooklyn Nets a first-round pick just to get rid of Nicholson’s contract. Instead, this summer has been about playoff teams imploding in the East.

First, Jimmy Butler was traded for pennies on the dollar even with 2 years remaining on his contract. The best player the Bulls received is one coming of a torn ACL just last February.  Atlanta paid Charlotte to take on Dwight Howard, literally moving down in the draft to rid themselves of his contract (and of Dwight Howard). Then, as if Sam Hinkie were running the team, they let Paul Millsap walk while letting the Knicks badly overpay for Tim Hardaway Jr. If that weren’t enough, the Pacers traded Paul George for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis….again that’s Paul George for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. The only addition thus far to the conference has been a dude who’s best known as the best white basketball player in the NBA, aka Gordon Heyward. Even then, the Celtics traded a significant piece of their team in Avery Bradley to accommodate Heyward’s max deal.

All of this occurred before the biggest bombshell dropped last week in the form of Kyrie Irving requesting a trade out of Cleveland. Suddenly, LeBron’s reign atop the East appears to be in danger of ending and not because LeBron is moving west next year. While a trade request does not mean that Cleveland will, or even should, trade Irving, it is a signal that all is not right in the ‘Land. After failed pursuits of both George and Butler and after losing a credible general manager in David Griffin, Cleveland’s hold on the east appears to be tenuous at best. While most assumed that Cleveland would take a step back after next season with the likely departure of LeBron, no one could’ve predicted this much turmoil for a team coming off 3 straight finals appearances.

So where does all of this leave the Eastern Conference and more important the Wizards? For starters, it is important to note that Irving has not been yet traded nor is there any indication that he will be; by default Cleveland is the favorite to make their fourth consecutive finals appearance. It remains to be seen just how massive a haul Cleveland could potentially receive back in any Irving or Kevin Love trade discussion, but it is safe to assume that any trade would not bring back the same caliber of a superstar as Irving….yes Irving is definitely one of the superstars of the league. With the possible departure of LeBron next summer, Cleveland is in trouble.

As for the Wizards, their future has gotten plenty more expensive, but also much more stable than the current state of buffoonery in the East. With only Boston getting better (one could argue Philly as well) over the summer, another playoff trip is all but guaranteed. After re-signing Porter and extending John Wall (who will finally start to earn more than Reggie Jackson) the core pieces are in place for sustained success. That core, however, is not a championship caliber core and that is where things begin to get murky.

With the team capped out for at least the next couple of seasons, it will be hard for the Wizards to add any pieces barring any salary dumps. Marcin Gortat, Mahinmi, and Markieff Morris are set to earn a combined $37 million each year for the next two years. Gortat shot 50% on dunks as a center last year, Mahinmi missed the majority of the season battling knee injuries, and Morris spends more time mean-mugging than contributing to the ebbs and flows of a basketball game. The only building piece besides the big-3 is Kelly Oubre and he was last seen glued to the bench in games 6 and 7 against Boston, unable to earn the trust of Scott Brooks after being suspended earlier in the series.

Add it all up and it sounds like the future is glum, but that is far from the truth. Any big-3 that starts with Wall and Bradley Beal has a real chance in any playoff series. If somehow the Wizards were able to clear salary cap space, they would be a real player in the DeMarcus Cousins bidding next summer given Wall’s rapport with Cousins going back to their Kentucky days. Even without adding Cousins, the Wizards’ summer of stability has them eyeing the top perch in the East. Their still improving core of Wall, Beal, and Porter will allow them to jostle with Boston for control of the Eastern Conference for years to come.