The Washington Wizards are a really frustrating team. With a back court of John Wall and Bradley Beal it forms the base of a team which I thought could be special. In 3 of the last 5 seasons they have finished in the 5th seed twice and 4th once which shows they do have potential but unfortunately they have lacked real success. They have started the season extremely bad and I can see some movement happening at some point this season.
They currently sit 2-7 and it's only thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers that they are not rock bottom of the East. They are giving up the most PPG on average and are the worst team at defending the 3. They have already lost by 22, 23 and 32 this season so half the time they aren't even being competitive. That's only the defensive end.
On the offensive end they are not much better, 27th in 3pt % and 22nd in fg% while being 25th in APG as a team. They aren't clicking on either end and I'm pretty sure Scott Brooks is on the hot seat. So much can change in so little time in the NBA so i feel that the Wizards will panic if they don't start picking up W's and make a trade to shake things up.
Their next 6 games are crucial and they should really be looking to go 6-0 or at least 5-1 against some of the weaker teams in the league if they want to salvage their season.
Next 6 games:
@ Dallas Mavericks
@ Orlando Magic
@ Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Cleveland Cavaliers
Brooklyn Nets
As previously mentioned, the Wizards have had some good regular season but it hasn't translated into playoff success. The Wizards have been a bit unlucky over the years but their continuous talk does annoy me. Ever since John Wall got injured in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi finals v the Atlanta Hawks they have struggled to reach the heights I thought they were capable of. I'm pretty sure a healthy John Wall would have led them past that 60 win Hawks team. I know that they wouldn't have beaten the Cavs in the East finals but it could have maybe helped them sign another star player due to the promise they showed. 2 seasons later (16/17) they exited at the same stage, this time in 7 to the Celtics. Kelly Olynyk went off for 26 points in that game (LOL) so it could have went Washington's way on another night. Even last season John Wall missed exactly half the season and they managed to sneak into 8th spot and lost in the 1st round. Something always seems to happen with this team and with LeBron finally gone they probably thought they have a chance to make some noise. The fact they have started so bad leads me to think its time to blow it up. Having 2 all stars and not even being in the conversation to make the East finals speaks volumes but the question is who goes?
The Wizard's contracts situation is a bit of a sticky one still. With Wall, Beal and Porter all signed for at least 3 season and all owed at least 26m they may have tied themselves up into deals that could be hard to shift. Currently I'm not exactly sure who will be moved and what they would get back but I think the Wizards experiment is over.
