As training camps start around the NBA landscape, every team around the league is hopeful that this could be the start of something great. It’s no different for the Washington Wizards as they look to build off of back-to-back playoff appearances, reaching the second round of the playoffs both seasons.
Before looking ahead to this upcoming season, let’s look at the additions and subtractions the Wizards made this offseason. The biggest loss Washington endured was future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce who jetted closer to home and reunited with his former head coach Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers. Pierce was huge influence on the young Wizards players, and when the big moments arrived, especially in the postseason, the 17-year veteran came through in the clutch. By the end of the season you could tell Pierce’s attitude and veteran savvy started to rub off on players such as John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter.
Washington also lost center Kevin Seraphin in free agency, as he signed a one-year deal with the New York Knicks. Seraphin was a first round draft pick of the Wizards and spent his first five years of his career in the nation’s capital. The Frenchman showed glimpses of great play, especially on the offensive end, but the inconsistency became too much for the Wizards to deal with and so the two parties parted ways.
Veteran’s Rasual Butler and Will Bynum were not retained by the team. Butler was surprisingly productive and was a key cog off the bench, giving Washington consistent three-point shooting. Bynum was signed towards the end of last season and had a couple good moments for the Wizards, but wasn’t productive for the most part. Butler signed with the San Antonio Spurs as a training camp invite, while Bynum is still searching for team to provide his services.
The Wizards biggest need this offseason was to reload the bench and add some veteran pieces who can replace the likes of Pierce and Butler. They accomplished that by adding veteran forwards Jared Dudley and Alan Anderson, drafting forward Kelly Oubre Jr. in the first round of the draft, and signing veteran sharp-shooter Gary Neal.
Washington acquired Jared Dudley from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a future second-round pick. This deal was made with the departure of Paul Pierce to the Clippers, and even though Dudley is not a future Hall of Famer or an NBA Champion, he still brings a leadership quality similar to Pierce and can give quality production off the bench.
Alan Anderson and Gary Neal are two guys who fit perfectly into what the Wizards want to do this upcoming season. Both players can stretch the floor with three-point shooting, and with their experience they can easily produce coming into the game off the bench. Kelly Oubre’s impact this season will be dictated by his play in training camp and into the preseason, and obviously the health of the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart.
Of the 15 players on the roster, 11 of them are returning players. Familiarity and camaraderie are two advantages to this Wizards team than most around the league. Luckily, three of the four new players are veterans who’ve been in the league and shouldn’t take long to adjust to the Randy Wittman’s system.
For three straight seasons the Wizards have been a top-10 defensive team under the tutelage of head coach Randy Wittman. Defensive is their bread and butter, while the offense sometimes takes a back seat. Washington won’t be offensive juggernaut starting this year but the adjustment to a smaller lineup could make them more dangerous. When Wittman switched their lineup by using a “stretch four” in the playoffs, Washington averaged well over 100 points and still was a lockdown defensive team. With Otto Porter emerging in the postseason while playing alongside Paul Pierce as a stretch four, you could very well see a Porter-Dudley combination throughout the season.
This team will go as far as their star backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal will take them. Wall will be entering his sixth season and is coming off his second All-Star campaign where he averaged 17.6 PPG and finished second in the NBA by averaging 10.0 assists. Wall hasn’t gotten quite to that level where he scores at will, but he was more efficient from the floor as he shot 44.5 percent. Despite not being an elite outside shooter, Wall could be an MVP candidate if he continues to better his efficiency combined with his elite passing and defensive ability. His backcourt mate
Bradley Beal is entering a contract year and if he could grow from this past postseason where he averaged 23.4 PPG he could make his first All-Star appearance. Beal ascended in the playoffs as he stopped taking long two-pointers and started to attack the basket, using his underrated strength and athleticism. Beal struggled with injuries once again last season which hurt his overall numbers. He averaged 15.3 PPG but did have career-highs in field goal percentage (42.7 percent) and three-point percentage (40.9 percent). An encouraging sign for Beal is an offseason where he didn’t have to rehab from any kind of surgery or lingering injury, letting the three-year player out of Florida rest his body and develop his overall game.
Aside from their backcourt, the Wizards’ biggest strength is their versatility. They have a slew of bigs who can play different styles. If coach Wittman wants to play big he has the likes of Marcin Gortat, Nene and DeJuan Blair, but if he wants to stretch the floor he has Jared Dudley, Drew Gooden and Kris Humphries. Washington also bolstered their outside shooting with the additions of Gary Neal, Alan Anderson and Kelly Oubre to go with Ramon Sessions and Martell Webster. Randy Wittman has the most options he’s ever had, which is nice to have as they go through the grind of an 82-game season where injuries and other adversities will occur.
The expectation for the Wizards is to continue their trend of taking that next step. Washington will be looking to reach the 50-win mark for the first time since the 1978-79 season. That was the same year the Wizards won their last division title, something this Washington team would love to accomplish. This isn’t necessarily a championship or bust season, but this Wizards group has lost in the second round for the second straight year and has come oh so close to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. If you ask most Wizards fans, they would have advanced if it weren’t for John Wall’s fractured hand. This Washington team now has expectations to win and not just be a good story. With the continued growth and leadership of John Wall and Bradley Beal, this could be a coming out party for the Washington Wizards.
PROJECTED STARTING FIVE:
PG: John Wall
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Otto Porter
PF: Nene
C: Marcin Gortat
BENCH:
Guards: Ramon Sessions, Gary Neal, Garrett Temple, Alan Anderson, Martell Webster
Forwards: Jared Dudley, Martell Webster, Kelly Oubre Jr., Alan Anderson
Forward/Centers: Drew Gooden III, Kris Humphries, DeJuan Blair