Wiz of Awes
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Washington Wizards Won’t Have Chemistry Problems In 2017

By Ben Mehic

Mar 27, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) is congratulated by Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) after scoring a three pointer against the Charlotte Hornets during overtime at Verizon Center. The Wizards won in double overtime 110 - 107. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) is congratulated by Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) after scoring a three pointer against the Charlotte Hornets during overtime at Verizon Center. The Wizards won in double overtime 110 - 107. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Wizards had some locker room troubles in 2016, but by locking up their players for the future those problems shouldn’t exist in 2017

The Washington Wizards were a disaster last season.

With more than half of the roster coming off the books this summer, the Wizards never found their identity, neither on the court nor in the locker room.

Nene, Jared Dudley, Ramon Sessions, Garrett Temple, Alan Anderson, Drew Gooden, Gary Neal and the final roster additions, J.J. Hickson and Marcus Thornton, were all on expiring deals.

The chemistry that Washington formed after making the NBA Playoffs was gone.

Paul Pierce, who took on the leadership role during the most crucial part of the year, fled D.C. in order to finish his career in his hometown, Los Angeles.

Washington hoped that the veteran additions of Dudley and Anderson would be enough to fill the void created by Pierce’s departure, but it obviously wasn’t.

Trying to form a new system, Randy Wittman focused on implementing a run-and-gun style of offense during training camp and didn’t spend much time reinforcing defensive sets.

The team struggled mightily on the defensive end of the floor and lost the key component of what made them a threat in the Eastern Conference.

Once the season started, the team struggled to get stops and there wasn’t any semblance of unity. Some of the guys on the team worried about their numbers more than the team’s collective success.

Gary Neal, in particular, took it upon himself to increase his statistical production and improve his chances of landing a big deal this off-season.

That didn’t sit well with his teammates, according to J.Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic:

"The word “selfish” often was used after postgame losses by various players — something that was rarely said in the previous two playoff seasons — and though Neal’s name was never used publicly that’s who was the primary target. That term also was used by some on the coaching staff."

NBA teams aren’t like any other basketball teams in the world. The players understand that the league is a for-profit business.

General managers and front office members are quick to trade or waive a player (like the Washington Wizards did to Neal after he got hurt), not taking the consequences of the move into consideration.

Players, at the end of the day, are all trying to make the most money possible.

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That’s why Dudley returned to the Phoenix Suns this summer.

And that’s why some on the Wizards’ roster, including Neal, didn’t care about the team’s chemistry.

They wanted to get paid.

Washington tried to be forward-thinking by acquiring players to short-term deals with hopes of landing a big name this off-season, but that plan backfired in two ways.

By signing players to one and two year deals, the Washington Wizards failed to consider the potential outcome of the season that was about to be played.

Wittman was a solid player’s coach, but there’s only so much the coaching staff could do when virtually everyone on the team is there on temporary terms.

There was no way to form a solid locker room when everyone was going to be leaving in just a season.

The chemistry the team built with Pierce, Temple and Martell Webster evaporated. Then, the Wizards asked John Wall and Bradley Beal to lead the charge. But, once again, that task was impossible for anybody in the league.

To make it all that much worse, the Wizards’ plan to sign players to short-term deals and effectively waste a season in order to land a big name didn’t pan out. They failed to execute it and were forced to use the cap room on addressing depth.

Thankfully, Washington’s core group of players are all under long-term deals now.

We know Wall and Beal are going to be in D.C. for the foreseeable future. The same applies to the second unit. Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson and Jason Smith all have multi-year contracts.

The players that don’t have long-term contracts, like Trey Burke, Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter, could become a part of the core too. Most importantly, the two key players – Porter and Oubre – should stick around for the long haul.

Washington will likely allow Porter to become a restricted free agent next summer, but they will have the right to match any contract he gets.

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Just like they did with Beal, I would be surprised if the Wizards don’t reach an agreement with Porter before any other team even gets involved.

Oubre is still under his rookie contract, so that bridge is at least a few years away.

The Wizards underestimated the chemistry that the team built throughout the past couple of seasons.

The leaders, Wall and Beal, will play the biggest role in keeping the team together, but it’s often the role players that represent the glue in the locker room.

Guys like Trevor Ariza, Pierce and Webster, for example, were incredibly valuable to locker room.

Washington should, in theory, avoid any chemistry problems this upcoming season.

The majority of the players on the team, including the main pieces, are going to be in D.C. for a while. That part of the equation is solved.

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The hiring of Scott Brooks will also help Washington reclaim the stability that the team took for granted. The chemistry problems that plagued the team last year should be gone.

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