The Washington Wizards failed to live up to expectations when they missed out on the playoffs in 2015-16. Remember, this was a team that went into the second round of the playoffs the year before and was poised for more growth. Instead, they regressed and that cost head coach Randy Wittman his job.
After a busy offseason, the Washington Wizards are hoping the addition of some key role players will help bring the most out of their core players and spark a return to the playoffs. Washington will have an uphill climb in an improved Eastern Conference and ultimately it will be on John Wall, Bradley Beal and Markieff Morris to live up to their potential and lead this group back to the postseason.
Offseason Changes
The Wizards had no problem allowing Alan Anderson, Jared Dudley, Ramon Sessions, Garett Temple and Nene all leave via free agency following a disappointing season. All of those players were supposed to be part of a supporting cast that helped elevate guys like Wall and Beal, but that never came to fruition.
Washington targeted a handful of players they felt were upgrades and in the end, they landed an impressive haul led by Trey Burke. The Wizards appear to have benefited from an absolute steal moving a 2021 second round pick for Burke and he should contribute immediately coming off the bench behind Wall. He showed promise as a rookie but then was lost in the rotation last year. He could be an important third man in the back court that will take pressure off of the big two. Meanwhile, Washington addressed its frontcourt depth with the additions of Ian Mahinmi, Jason Smith and Andrew Nicholson. Those players are not exactly headline acts but probably aren’t worse than what they had.
Strengths
The Wizards will once again be led by an All-Star point guard in Wall, who is an outstanding playmaker that has the potential to consistently make those around him better. Bradley Beal is a consistent three-point shooter that should be the perfect compliment to Wall and he himself is an All-Star too. That tandem will be relied on to step up big time this season. Marcin Gortat and Mahinmi should make up a capable center duo while Nicholson and Smith should provide quality depth.
The key for the Washington Wizards will be for some of their younger players to take a step forward. That includes Otto Porter Jr., who appears ready to elevate his game as well as Kelly Oubre. For them to get back to the playoffs and beyond, they’ll need a breakout from one of these guys. Meanwhile, Morris is far too talented to not be a factor but he must prove he has the work ethic to be a force on a consistent basis. He’s a talented player that was acquired via trade last year but he need to play to his potential.
Weaknesses
Washington has some extremely skilled pieces but the lack of a pure superstar is still notable. Wall and Beal could make up a formidable tandem but Beal needs to prove he can stay healthy, which has been an issue. The Washington Wizards can’t afford to play too many games without Wall and Beal both in the lineup because their scoring depth is extremely limited beyond those two. Washington ranked near the bottom of the NBA in both rebounding and opponent shooting percentage so efficiency will be very important once again in 2016-17.
Outlook
The Washington Wizards have enough talent to contend for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but whether or not they actually make it is a different story entirely. Head coach Scott Brooks should get more out of this roster than Wittman did, which is definitely a good sign.
This team will ultimately only go as far as Wall and Beal take them but even with those two playing at a high level, there are obvious concerns about their depth and poor defensive play. The bottom of the Eastern Conference appears to be improved so there will be less room for error as Washington looks to grind it out and contend for a playoff spot this season.
Prediction: 2nd in Southeast Division; 9th in Eastern Conference
