NBA February Prediction: Momentum for drastic changes in Washington
I feel bad for Bradley Beal. Every time there is a commercial break during a Wizards game I half expect Sarah McLachlan to appear on the screen to tell us about a toll-free number we can call to help Beal get out of Washington while “In the arms of an angel” plays in the background. The guy is miserable there.
The Wizards have had their roster sliced razor-thin by health and safety protocols and have played the fewest games in the league because of it. But their main problem is that Russell Westbrook has been, to put it nicely, not great.
What was supposed to be an upgrade over a post-Achilles injury John Wall has been anything but that. Maybe it’s a slow recovery from his recent injuries, or maybe it’s Father Time, but Westbrook simply can’t get to the rim like he used to.
Only 14 percent of Westbrook’s shots are coming within three feet of the basket, which is way down from even his previous career low of 29 percent. This has led to Westbrook taking a career-high of his shot attempts from 16-plus feet from the basket, an area where he does not have a reputation of being successful.
That’s only half of the problem though. The other half is that the only person on Earth who seems to not see what’s happening to Russell Westbrook is Russell Westbrook. He’s still posting a usage rate of over 30 percent and averaging five turnovers per game. For him to have any value in Washington he needs to take a back seat, something he’s never really been willing to do.
Westbrook’s contract, health, and bad play make him the most untradeable player in the NBA, so if a big move is to be made it’s probably to set Beal free. I don’t think anything official gets done in February and would guess the trade deadline in March is more likely if a deal is going to get done, but the only way to quiet the trade momentum is to win games and I don’t see the Wizards being able to do that.