2019–2020 NBA Season Previews: Washington Wizards
Head Coach: Scott Brooks
Last Season: 32–50, 11th in Eastern Conference
Projected Starters:
- PG: Ish Smith
- SG: Bradley Beal
- SF: Troy Brown Jr.
- PF: Rui Hachimura
- C: Thomas Bryant
Additions: Davis Bertans, Isaac Bonga, Chris Chiozza, Rui Hachimura (R), Garrison Mathews (R), C.J. Miles, Justin Robinson (R), Admiral Schofield (R), Ish Smith, Isaiah Thomas, Moritz Wagner.
Losses: Trevor Ariza, Sam Dekker, Jeff Green, Dwight Howard, Jabari Parker, Tarik Phillip, Bobby Portis, Chasson Randle, Devin Robinson, Tomas Satoransky.
The Washington Wizards have been one of if not the NBA’s most disapponting team over the last half decade. Despite being regularly picked to make the postseason and having the talent to do so, a combination of locker room issues, poor front office decisions and injuries has derailed their hopes of an Eastern Conference championship each year.
Looking at this season, it appears the Wizards till be tanking given that star point guard John Wall will miss the whole season with an injury. On top of that, there isn’t too much talent on the roster surrounding shooting guard Bradley Beal.
To the surprise of many, Beal signed an extension with Washington despite widespread rumors that he would be traded. Beal enters this season as the leader of the team with Wall out and will be the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future. Beal is coming off a season in which he became the first player in franchise history to average at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game, and those numbers could very well improve given that he will be relied on heavily to carry the Wizards offense. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Beal averaged over 30 points per game this season, as it is almost certain that he will make his third consecutive All-Star team.
After Beal, the roster is a combination of role players and unproven youngsters. After coming off a 32-win total, their lowest since 2013, the Wizards will try to develop their young talent.
For the first time in nine years, the Wizards will have a starting point guard not named John Wall. After spending three seasons in Detroit, his longest tenure with any team, Smith joins his 11th team in Washington and projects as the starting point guard. Smith brings veteran experience, quickness and solid playmaking to the backcourt alongside Beal. Smith averaged 9.8 points per game in his three seasons with Detroit and will be a decent stopgap until Wall returns.
One young player the Wizards will have high hopes for going into this season is Troy Brown Jr., a 2018 first round draft pick that saw limited playing time in his rookie year. Brown averaged just 4.8 points per game and played just 14 minutes, although he did see more opportunities toward the end of the season.
Even though he suffered an injury and will miss the start of the season, Brown did improve this off-season by getting stronger. Brown is a good defender and with more playing time should help the Wizard improve as a team on the defensive end. He also he showed greater confidence in his scoring and playmaking as the season progressed and has a good feel for the game overall.
At the power forward spot is rookie Rui Hachimura, a questionable ninth overall pick. Hachimura is a good scorer at the rim and has the ability to spotup and hit jumpers, but his feel for the game is still a major question mark. This is especially the case on defense, where he is consistently exposed in isolations and struggles on switches. Hachimura wasn’t even the best player on Gonzaga last year (Brandon Clarke), and I believe he is overrated from his point per game total. Hachimura does have a good offensive skillset, has a polished mid-range game and excels at grabbing rebounds, but his decision making and defense must improve moving forward. Adding a consistent 3-point shot would also help.
Outside of Beal, Thomas Bryant and Davis Bertans appear to the best players on the Wizards roster. Bryant had a breakout season in 2018–19 and has much higher expectations going into the 2019–20 campaign. Despite not having much of a track record, the Wizards signed Bryant to a $25 million deal for three years. After being let go by the Lakers, Bryant bounced back and averaged 10.5 points, 1.3 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game last year for the Wizards. The Indiana product was a pick-and-roll threat and led the NBA in shooting percentage inside of three feet. Bryant is also a threat in the pick-and-pop and can knock down 3-pointers. Look for the Wizards’ center to be the team’s second-leading scorer behind Beal and be a consistent double-double threat.
With Bertans, you get a stretch big who can knock down 3-pointers at an elite level. He shot 43.9% on catch-and-shoot 3's and 58.3% from the corners last year. The Wizards shot 44.6 3-pointers per game in the preseason, the second most in the NBA; Bertans will be a big part of that. While I believe Berans should be the starting power forward, I understand Hachimura being the starting four as the Wizards try to develop their young talent. Still, Bertans is a great team player who will be a solid scoring threat for the Wizards off the bench.
X-Factor: Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas’ career has been on a downslide since he left the Celtics a few years ago. After going through both hip and thumb injuries, Thomas has been nowhere near the same player who took the NBA by storm in 2016–17. He’s bounced around the Cavaliers, Nuggets and Lakers and now finds himself in Washington. Thomas will come off the bench to start the year as the Wizards he can return some of the magic he had in Boston. A revamped Thomas could help put the Wizards in the playoff hunt, but that may be asking too much at this point. Off the court, Thomas has already become a leader in the locker room as well.
Questions:
What can we expect from the rest of the young guys?
With player such as C.J. Miles, Ian Mahinmi and Thomas battling injuries, and given expectations aren’t high for this team, a lot of young players will get a chance to show their worth. The Wizards are trying to construct their roster around Beal and Wall and will try to gauge who will be in their future plans.
After coming over in a trade from the Wizards, Moritz Wagner will be the backup center for the Wizards. Wagner led the Wiz in scoring during the preseason and averaged 15.8 points per game on 56.3% shooting overall, 36.4% from 3-point, and 89.5% from the free throw line. Look for the German big man to make strides in his sophomore campaign and showcase his value as a stretch center.
Another international prospect worth keeping an eye out is Isaac Bonga. Bonga is a 6-foot-8 wing who also has plenty of experience playing point guard. Given how much of a scramble the point guard looks to be, look for Bonga to get some opportunities running the offense. The 19-year-old burst onto the scene during training camp and the preseason and should get more playing time than he did with the Lakers.
After playing on a two-way contract last year, Jordan McRae returns this season to provide a scoring punch off the bench. McRae is on the court to score and can do so from anywhere from the court. The 6-foot-5 wing should average double digit points per game and be a prominent scoring option for the reserve unit.
What is the point guard situation?
With Wall out, many players will get reps at the starting point guard spot for the Wizards. Ish Smith has served as the backup option in Detroit over the past three years and is a reliable floor general, while Isaiah Thomas will look to make the most of this opportunity to try and show that he can get back to the highs of his 2017 season where he averaged 28.9 points per game in Boston. Young guys Justin Robinson and Isaac Bonga will also get some time at the point guard spot.
What is General Manager Tommy Shepard’s plan?
After 16 years, the Wizards decided to move on from Ernie Grunfeld last April. On July 22, 2019, the Wizards hired Tommy Shepard as general manager of the team. Shepard proceeded to fill out the rest of the front office as the Wizards a new hard work, max effort attitude. The moves are already paying off, as new “defensive coordinator” and Assistant Coach Mike Longabardi has put in a new system that will be more successful than people are giving the Wizards credit.
It appears the Wizards are set on Wall and Beal, especially given how much money they have tied to them. The Wizards appear to be running on anew system, but it will all be for not if it doesn’t bring a championship to D.C. The Wizards will try to build young talent around their star backcourt duo in hopes of getting back to the postseason. Shepard is choosing not to blow things up, and that seems like a tough task anyway given Wall’s monstrous contract.
Verdict:
The Wizards will not make the playoffs and will struggle to gain traction. There simply isn’t enough talent for this team to win many games this year. Washington must hope that the young core can develop enough to where the franchise can attract more All-Star talent.
