Time is running out for the Washington Wizards
After hiring head coach Scott Brooks and re-signing Bradley Beal to a new five-year, $128 million contract this summer, the Washington Wizards were expected to get back on track after a disappointing 2015-16 campaign.
John Wall and Beal were supposed to flourish under new coach Scott Brooks, especially after the success he had in Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Even Wizards General Manager Ernie Grunfeld went out and replaced some of their aging bench players with younger pieces – Ian Mahinmi and Andrew Nicholson, while trading for Trey Burke – with decent upside.
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Assuming this team could remain healthy, Washington looked like a team with potential, that if they played their cards right, could make some noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
However, that hasn’t been the case this season. Washington is currently 12th in the Eastern Conference, with a 7-13 record. When you watch the Wizards play, more often than not, three things stand out.
Lazy Defense. Poor bench play. Bad offense.
The Wizards are ranked 20th in defensive rating, allowing 108.2 points per 100 possessions, which is somewhat confusing. On paper, you’d think that Washington would be better on that end of the floor. They have long, athletic defenders like John Wall, Otto Potter Jr. and Kelly Oubre. Also, you’d expect Marcin Gortat to be a better rim protector.
Yet, the Wizards lack of activity is why they struggle so much in the passing lanes and on the defense overall.
Looking at their most recent game against the Orlando Magic – one of the worst offenses in the NBA, 28th to be specific – the Wizards gave up 124 points. Orlando averages 93.2 points per game, normally.
Washington gave up 25 points to Elfrid Payton, who went 8-for-8 in the first half. That’s unheard of. The Wizards also gave up 73 points to Orlando’s bench. The effort simply wasn’t there for the Wizards all night.
Heck, not even a 52-point night from John Wall was enough to save them from that putrid defensive performance.
Maybe Gortat is right; the Wizards do have one of the worst benches in the entire NBA. Washington’s second unit – lead by Marcus Thornton, Trey Burk, Kelly Oubre and Jason Smith – was outscored 73-22.
As bad as the Wizards have been on the defensive end, you could probably make the case that they’ve been worse, at times, on the offensive side of the ball.
We all know what John Wall brings to the table, averaging 24 points, 10 assists and four rebounds on 46 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from distance. However, at times Wall is their only offensive source. And that could explain why they’re in the middle of the pack on offense – ranked 16th.
Against the Magic, which resulted in a 124-116 loss for the Wizards, Wall had no help whatsoever on offense and it looked like everybody was just ball-watching. In the end, no one stepped up to help him and the Wizards lost.
The easy answer is to say that the Washington Wizards simply haven’t hit their stride this season. However, time is running out on that narrative. If Washington can’t get back to its winning ways soon, rumblings are bound to pick up surrounding John Wall’s future with the organization.
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Washington has the talent to be a really good team, but if they don’t start playing with more effort on the defensive side of the ball and make the necessary adjustments on offense, then they are in a world of trouble.
Scott Brooks needs to get this team back on track, before it’s too late.