NBA: 4 entertaining and underrated league pass teams
By Jon Soto
Washington Wizards
Another season without John Wall in the nation’s capital, which naturally has led to another poor record for the Washington Wizards. I don’t care. That’s not what we’re talking about here. The entertainment meter for this iteration of the Wizards is through the roof. At least on offense.
And man do I need to emphasis the offense part. The Wizards are 11-24, and they’ve been hit with some injuries recently, particularly to their best player Bradley Beal. However, despite an uninspiring record, the Wizards of Washington have the sixth-best offensive rating in the league (111.4).
That’s better than the following teams: Clippers, Heat, 76ers, Nuggets, and Raptors. All teams with realistic aspirations of playing beyond the first two rounds of the playoffs. On the other hand, the Wizards will be in the lottery again.
I could go into detail over Washington’s mega issues on defense – the reason their record is where it is. But, I won’t do that. We’re here to talk about the League Pass entertainment value of the 2019-20 Wizards.
First Beal, who has been an offensive savant. He’s posting averages of 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. He probes in the pick-and-roll with the mastery of a heady point guard; he has – on various occasions – gone on scoring tears that leave you speechless.
Beyond Beal, the Wizards have gotten surprising production from a slew of other players. Davis Bertans, who came over from the San Antonio Spurs has set the NBA on fire. The Latvian Laser attempts 8.6 3-pointers per game, hitting 43 percent of them. The attempts put him at third amongst forwards, per NBA Advanced Stats.
Isaiah Thomas – averaging 13.7 points – has had a terrific bounce-back season. Rookie Rui Hachimura (13.9 points per game and 5.8 rebounds) is a steady contributor. And can’t forget Thomas Bryant – who is the ultimate ball of energy – who averages 13.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Keep a close eye on the Wizards; there’s a good chance they will score 140 points…while giving up 147.