Washington Wizards: Death By Pace and Space Offense

The Washington Wizards went into the season having high expectations. They made a playoff run as the fifth seed and got to the Eastern Conference Semifinals despite having a banged up team. The Wizards looked to the 2016 season to establish their dominance as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. They are currently 10-12 and 11th in the East. What happened?

Pace and Space – a.k.a. “Small Ball”

The Wizards moved to a smaller lineup this offseason, hoping to mimic the success that the Golden State Warriors have with the pace and space offense. Pace and space, otherwise known as small ball, gives up height, strength and a low post presence in order to score more with a lineup of smaller players that have speed and agility.

This sacrifice of strength on the interior side has caused the Wizards to be outrebounded on multiple occasions. The addition of Kris Humphries to the stretch four position has made matters worse. He has actually averaged less points and rebounds this year than he had last year. This year, Humphries only averages 6 points and 4.4 rebounds a game, whereas last year, Humphries averaged 8 points a game and 6.5 rebounds.

This change in the lineup also hasn’t helped Marcin Gortat much either. Although his numbers are up and he continues to better his stats this season, he is constantly double-teamed and battered in the paint. He was even indirectly called out by his coach Randy Wittman in a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 10th. He didn’t take kindly to those comments and expressed his disappointment to the media.

Dec 12, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia (27) guards Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

“I don’t think it was necessary to call me out in the media like that,” said Gortat. “But it happened. I heard a different story in training camp, that stuff like that won’t happen. But it happened. So I disagree with what he did.”

As previously stated, Gortat has actually increased his numbers this season. He is now scoring 12.3 points per game and grabs 9.1 rebounds per game. Last season, Gortat averaged 12.2 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game. Without the help of his running buddy Nene, Gortat has to do more work on the block himself.

Nene is now coming off of the bench for the Wizards. He is only averaging 7.6 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game. Last season Nene averaged 11 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game. Nene gave the Wizards another post player that could ease the burden off of Gortat’s shoulders.

According to Chris Thompson of Truth About It.net, the Wizards have a multitude of issues and Humphries is an indictment of how poorly the Wizards roster is constructed:

"What I’m saying, here, is this: If you are starting Kris Humphries, it should not be because you think he will unlock your attack. Generally speaking, it should be because your regular starting 4 is injured. That the Wizards may not have a better option is a rather stark indictment of their roster construction. On the other hand, insisting upon playing a style for which you do not have the right personnel is, generally, a dumb and bad thing to do.So, OK, maybe giving more minutes to a guy who can make sharp passes (a healthy Jared Dudley, for example) will unlock a terrifying, unstoppable offense. This, though, will not solve all of Washington’s problems, and that’s because their biggest problem is that they aren’t defending. And this really cannot be overstated: the Wizards have just four difference-maker defenders on their entire roster, and one of them is coming off the bench. Wall, Beal, Porter, and Nene are good NBA defenders. Gortat, Humphries, Dudley, and Garrett Temple are average defenders. Ramon Sessions, Gary Neal, and Drew Gooden are calamitous, disastrously deficient defenders. Kelly Oubre is a rookie. DeJuan Blair is a garbage bag full of wet topsoil. The Wizards are having a very, very bad time on defense."

Although they seem to be playing better now, they still have had issues with their defensive play. Last season the Wizards were ranked fifth in defensive efficiency, allowing 100 points per game. This year they are ranked 23rd, allowing 104.1. John Wall had a few comments about the system in place after the Wizards won against the Mavericks on Saturday.

“Both systems are cool,” said Wall, who had 26 points, a season-high 16 assists, five rebounds and two blocks in a Washington 114-111 win at the Dallas Mavericks. “We just rely too much on help defense. We’re giving guys straight-line drives, putting us in rotation where we have to help. Then you’re giving up wide-open threes. Even if you’re contesting late, good three-point shooters in the league don’t need that much time. That’s what’s hurting us.”

The Wizards offensive efficiency has also taken a hit as well, albeit, not as big. Last season the Wizards ranked 19th in offensive efficiency, averaging 101.8 points per game. This season, the Wizards are now averaging 100.6 points per game and ranked 20th.

3 Keys to Help the Wizards Right the Ship

Nov 25, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lamb (3) gets fouled by Washington Wizards forward Nene Hilario (42) during the second half at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets defeated the Wizards 101-87. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The Wizards are playing much better, but they cannot stick with this offense for a long period of time if they want to be successful. They were a top-5 team in defense and their offense, the one thing that was supposed to be aided in this pace and space system, has gotten worse.

By adding Nene back to the starting lineup, the Wizards can go back to their bruising ways that got them to be the 5th seed last season. His physical play, along with Gortat’s increased rebounding could give the Wizards a strong front line. Also, the Wizards need to start to take smarter shots.

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Their 3-point percentage has dropped to .353 this year after being at .360 last year. Washington’s total field goal percentage has also fallen to .448. This is down from .462 last season. Last, but not least, the Wizards need to stay healthy.

Bradley Beal has a stress reaction in his lower right fibula. He will miss the next two weeks before being re-evaluated, the team announced Saturday afternoon. His injury is a thorn in the Wizards’ sides. They need him and Wall to stay healthy so that they can reach the playoffs.

The sky is the limit for the Wiz Kids. The question is, will they reach their potential in this offense that has caused them many problems this season?

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