Some exciting news, the NBA Preseason is exactly a week and a day from today, officially starting on Friday, October 4th! We are getting that much closer to on-court action and that can only mean one thing: it is time for another entry into the SneakerReporter NBA Top 30 team countdown.
The team featured today on our daily list as team #26: the Washington Wizards.
As if their offseason boded even worse than the rest of the league, DC’s team has been shellacked by injuries, injuries, and more injuries. Things have been going bad, and I mean really bad, for the Wizards. Their ace on the mound of sorts, perennial all-star John Wall ruptures his Achilles last fall and is notably done for the year and for possibly a slew of games next year, and the guy who was supposed to sub in for him, Isaiah Thomas, is sidelined for at least 6-8 weeks with an injured thumb.
What’s making the D.C. situation even worse (no, not that D.C. situation on 1600 Penn Ave) is that their lone star, the other half of the vaunted backcourt that propelled the Wizards to multiple playoff runs is probably going to bounce from Washington before the season begins, or before the February trade deadline. Bradley Beal has not signed his 3 year/$111 million extension, which leads many to believe it’s not a matter of if he’ll reconsider signing, but where he will be traded.
Beal is being courted by a litany of suitors, and where he lands is going to tell the story of who’s contender status gets immediately boosted at season’s beginning, or after the mid-season trade deadline.
The Wizards are in no rush to fight for a playoff spot, so their plan of growing their young core while mixing in veteran parts as well as include some free pieces as a result of some draft trades seems to be the move at the minute.
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26. Washington Wizards (28-52) – An Impressive Draft, But Its Gonna Be A Long Year In D.C. Again
It’s looking more and more likely that the John Wall-Bradley Beal era is reaching its unwarranted end. We know the Wizards as an unlucky franchise, once getting to the mountaintop of challenging their division rival Boston Celtics to a game 7 to go to a conference finals, only to disappoint and come up short, even with all the star power that Wall and Beal brought to the nation’s capital. We don’t have even the slightest clue if John Wall will return to playoff form ever again pending his recovering Achilles (injured by slipping down the steps last season).
And, if Bradley Beal seeks elsewhere for contention, the 2019-20 Washington Wizards will not be a sight for sore eyes, to put it keenly.
Still, the show must go on and it’s not like there isn’t something to look forward to with this Wizards roster. New Wizards GM Tommy Shepherd struck gold piecing together Washington’s 2019 draft class in their first-round draft choice, picking up Rui Hachimura with the ninth overall pick. He will be a dandy to watch this year at the center position and Wizards fans can only expect greatness out of the 21-year old man out of Gonzaga.
The first-ever Japanese-born NBA Draft selection was an absolute beast in his three years under Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, posting up 19.7 points per game as the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, and a Naismith Award finalist. His name really got etched into a flurry of headlines after he and his Zags knocked off the Zion Williamson-led Duke Blue Devils at the 2018 Maui Invitational. Also, as a member of the Japanese Men’s National Basketball Team, Hachimura averaged over 20 points per game in FIBA competition.
Standing at a lofty 6’8 and weighing at 234 lbs, Hachimura is a dangerous blend of swiftness and strength. Comparing sizes, he just about matches the frame of Kawhi Leonard when looking at length and hand sizes. But what’s most intriguing about the Japanese-born big man is his style of play: dominating inside of the arc. While he has time to improve his defensive IQ, he has shown he can make those strides in his offensive game as an improved shooter, low post scorer, and vertical floor spacer when involved in Pick and Roll sets.
Aside from their first-round pick, The Wizards also acquired Tennessee Small Forward Admiral Schofield in the second round of the 2019 draft. In his final year as a Volunteer, Schofield was one of the country’s most chiseled prospects as he became one of the best shooters and all-around threats in the SEC under head coach Rick Barnes.
Schofield played a significant role for Tennessee on the wing, doing much of his damage as a floor spacer and shooter off the dribble within the Volunteer’s motion sets, but showed the ability to do just about everything in his senior season exploiting mismatches, filling lanes in transition, and showing growth as a passer.
Just like his frontcourt cohort Grant Williams (first-rounder to Boston), the two were both scrappy defenders who brought intensity and effort on every defensive possession. More specifically, Schofield’s impressive footwork and lateral quickness to keep up with guards off of the switch was not the only attribute he brought to the Volunteers, but his ability to mix it up and defend the rim can benefit the defensive effort of the Wizards as a whole once he is etched into head coach Scotty Brooks’s rotation.
Assessing the rest of the Wizards’ combination of youth and experienced players, the Wizards still have Thomas Bryant at Center and Small Forward Troy Brown Jr., while bringing in Power Forward Davis Bertans from San Antonio and eight-year veteran and journeyman Ish Smith Jr. at the guard spot.
Troy Brown Jr. and Thomas Bryant will be expected to take on larger roles with the team as they enter their second and third years, respectively. Thomas Bryant will become a focal point of this year’s Wizards team on the defensive side of the ball. Ian Mahinmi will come in to be a defense and rebound specialist, but as the one-time heart and soul for the Indiana Hoosiers, Bryant has shown that he can be a threat on that end of the court as well. Averaging 18.2 points per game, 10.9 rebounds per game and 1.6 blocks per game, the Wizards saw his intensity and effort, and backed up the brinks truck for him, offering him a 3 year/$25 million dollar extension with the team this offseason.
As it goes for Troy Brown Jr., it looks like he’ll be the starting small forward on opening night for the Wizards. As a lottery pick in the 2018 draft, the Wizards are being patient in letting Brown turn into a reliable small forward, like how he did in his sophomore year at Oregon.
Other than Hachimura, Brown was clearly the best player on the Wiz’s Summer League roster. In his only full game, he put up 18 points and 15 rebounds, but he only shot 40.6 percent in Vegas. Though he too is struggling with injury woes at the moment and may not suit up for the preseason (just announced: 4 weeks with a calf strain), Brown may be good enough to go for their October opening and will not have any pressure of being an offensive focal point, making it easy to create space for Beal and Thomas to gain some efficient scoring opportunities.
When his rehabilitation is complete, Isaiah Thomas will have to hold down the point guard position until John Wall returns in 2020 or 2021. Though Wizards fans try their best to forget, we all remember the epic performances Isaiah Thomas put on as the Boston Celtics’ primary go-to option against the Wizards in the playoffs, and as a whole during Boston’s many trips to the conference finals and other deep playoff runs.
The 5-foot-9 guard’s game has been substantially hampered by his physical ailments after his hip surgeries, but being able to run the offense for a point guard hungry Washington Wizards team could be the ultimate opportunity for another memorable comeback story in Thomas’s career. He signed a veteran’s minimum deal just to get back on an NBA roster – following his discarding from the likes of the Cavaliers, Lakers, Nuggets in the past two seasons – and this may be his very last chance to make a splash as a spark of energy and inspiration on the offensive end.
We know Thomas to operate off of mismatches and seamlessly run a heavy-motion, pick and roll favored offense, create his own shot off a tight handle and get bucket after bucket when he’s on the mark. At his peak, Thomas had two incredible All-Star seasons with the Celtics, averaging 28.9 points per game. Keep in mind – he finished FIFTH in MVP voting back in 2017 among the league’s greats of James Harden and LeBron James. If he can just stay healthy for a full season, and if Bradley Beal is willing to stick around in D.C., IT will serve as the perfect tool next to Beal.
Also, the Wizards signed guard-forward C.J. Miles, who is coming into his 15th NBA season. A 2005 second-round selection by the Jazz, Miles is known for his outside shooting and helped a good amount of teams – Utah, Indiana, Cleveland, Toronto and most recently Memphis – with his vocal presence in locker rooms and leadership. There is strong potential for these veterans to mentor younger Wizards and boost the team’s confidence with or without the help of Beal.
Though they let go a majority of their role players like Tomas Satoransky, Kelly Oubre, and Jason Smith, the Wizards got some veteran pieces from trades with teams like the Lakers in the draft.
Washington acquired center Moritz “Mo” Wagner, forward Jemerrio Jones, guard Isaac Bonga and a 2022 second-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team trade involving the New Orleans Pelicans. As a second-round addition to the Lakers last year, Wagner put up 4.8 points a game but average 11.4 points and 4.6 rebounds as a temporary starter when Los Angeles’ injuries started piling up.
A team that would have otherwise been a lock as a postseason favorite a couple of years ago now has to slam the reset button, but do not be surprised if this prediction is completely incorrect.
In a perfect world, the already-established maturity of Rui Hachimura and Admiral Schofield will show itself in how they command the attention of their offense and show their mental intangibles on the defensive end (in other words, what staying in school for 3+ years will do for a player’s development), Isaiah Thomas is healthy all year-round and puts up numbers like he was still in Boston, Thomas Bryant becomes a household name and Bradley Beal decides to sign that extension and stick it out until his comrade John Wall is completely healed for next season.
Unfortunately, life almost never turns out perfect, so be prepared to see the Wizards lose a bunch of games this year with a predictable offense that will struggle to defend fastbreaks in transition.
After consecutive losses, their last, and most displeased superstar may head elsewhere to offer another contender his contributions en route to a chance at an NBA title, making the Wizards another doormat in the much more competitive Southeastern division. Then, the Wizards will be back to square one in trying to build a roster capable of making noise in the Eastern Conference.
The only thing Scotty Brooks, Tommy Shepherd and all of D.C. faithful can do is wait and hope for the best, as cliche as that sounds.
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