Washington Wizards: A Playoff Caliber Squad?
By Kyle Andrews
The Washington Wizards have made headlines for many reasons this offseason, but are they a playoff caliber team?
It has been an interesting offseason for the Washington Wizards. First up was the rumor that Kevin Durant was not interested in returning home. That proved to be true. They also added former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach, Scott Brooks to their head coaching position. Next, was the signing of Bradley Beal, which was an absolute splash. Lastly, the Wizards added Ian Mahimi, Tomas Satoransky, Trey Burke and Andrew Nicholson to their bench, all solid backups.
Let’s review.
The Washington Wizards were poor on defense last season. By adding Mahimi, you are adding a center who can give the Wizards a definitive defensive presence on the block. Also, by relieving Marcin Gortat, Washington will have fresh legs to work with. Remember, the Wizards still have J.J. Hickson. More defense. That is a very good move for the Wiz.
Mahimi loves defense too, referenced by statements he had made in a Washington Times interview:
"“For me, being a Pacer for four years, everything was first getting stops, getting rebounds,” Mahinmi said. “That was the foundation of our game. We wanted to get stops and rebounds. My game has been built around that.”"
His game as a banger makes perfect sense for a team that just lacked intensity last season. They finished 25th in rebounding percentage.
"“It’s never really easy to go and play the Wizards,” Mahinmi said. “You know from the start it’s going to be a tough game. Just a bunch of hard-nosed players. From the outside, before I got signed, I always enjoyed playing against D.C. because you knew you were going to be up for a challenge.”"
Physicality is the name of the game. That’s key to the Wizards making it back to the playoffs.
Adding Nicholson will give the Wizards that stretch four that they so desperately needed last season. His ability to spread the defense out and even contest some three point shots on occasion, should give them another tool in the shed.
Nicholson went 41 of 114 on three-pointers for career highs in both makes and attempts and continues to work on that during the offseason.
"“I continue to work on that. It’s something that definitely I’ve been working on in the summertime. It’s an important aspect of my game, and just look forward to getting better at it.”"
Having Nicholson off of the bench for Markieff Morris, who is a high-energy player, will be perfect for a Wizards club that had barely production from it’s bench power forwards last season.
Also, the additions of Burke and Satoransky give the Wizards that bench depth that was talked about earlier. The guard position needs this the most, as John Wall and Beal get hurt every once in awhile. Backing up Beal with a young guy like Satoransky, could give the Wizards that extra juice. Wall also needed a true backup at the point guard position. Burke is that guy, especially since the Wizards haven’t had anyone since Andre Miller that really filled the roll.
These are just the additions to the team on the court. I haven’t even gotten to Brooks yet. Brooks is the type of coach to get maximum development from his players. Randy Wittman was not that kind of guy. Brooks made Russell Westbrook into the superstar that he is today and I’m sure that if he has Wall and Beal under his wing, they can take their stardom to new heights.
‘Kieff also could take a step up under Brooks, and let’s not forget about Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter. They are two players that I am absolutely positive will make strides in their games. Oubre and Porter are 20 and 23 respectively and they still haven’t reached their full potential. Add that in with Wall (25) and Beal (23), the Wizards will have young and athletic squad for years.
At first I was worried about this team. I looked at some of the moves that they made and I just started to scratch my head. When the dust settled, it still looked a little iffy. Things change though and I have an announcement to make.
Next: Wizards Re-Sign Bradley Beal
Get excited Wizards fans, they WILL make the playoffs this year. They have a good bench, a great coach and players that fit what Brooks’ vision is. They are young and hungry. They may not exactly have the same veteran presence as they did before, but that won’t stop this Washington Wizards team. It may not be the perfect season, it will be filled with some ups and a lot of downs, nevertheless this Wizards team will be exciting. I expect nothing less than the 6th seed from this team.