Washington Wizards Season Outlook 2016-17: Searching For An Identity

Washington Wizards showed signs of growth defensively throughout preseason, but their identity is still a work in progress.

For years, the Washington Wizards had prided themselves on being an elite defensive team under Randy Wittman. The coach had instilled a sense of discipline in everyone on the roster. John Wall had become an All-NBA Defender and the frontcourt anchored the paint.

Once the team decided to make the switch to small-ball last season, the defense deteriorated.

Without two bigs, the Wizards’ rim protection fell apart. Jared Dudley, who’s played small-forward for virtually his entire career, was asked to defend players who were bigger, faster and more physical.

Marcin Gortat, though a solid defender, isn’t capable of doing it alone. And quite frankly, there are only a handful of players in the NBA that can lead a defense without the team backing them.

Washington fired Wittman and replaced him with Scott Brooks, who was also known for being a defense-first coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Personnel wise, the Wizards needed to make changes this summer. It became clear that an offensive-based roster wasn’t going to be conducive to winning games consistently after the Wizards failed to make the postseason for the first time in three years.

They added youth by signing Tomas Satoransky – a 6-foot-7 point guard – Trey Burke, Andrew Nicholson, Jason Smith and Ian Mahinmi, who was a top-10 defender this past season.

Most importantly, the players that were already on the roster – Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, Markieff Morris and Kelly Oubre – were committed to growing defensively.

Versatility – an ability to run in transition and get stops on the other end – is going to be the Wizards’ calling card.

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With Wall and Beal leading the charge, scoring won’t be an issue.

The defense, though, remains questionable.

In seven preseason games, the Washington Wizards allowed an average of 98.74 points per game.

Washington was sixth in opponent points allowed in preseason, just behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs.

All of the aforementioned teams are expected to stand out defensively this upcoming season.

Minnesota is being led by Tom Thibodeau, who’s one of the league’s greatest defensive minds.

Utah is incredibly versatile and have one of the most intimidating players in the league in Rudy Gobert.

Milwaukee, like Utah, is capable of playing both small and big, and will continue to count on Giannis Antetokounmpo. San Antonio is, well, San Antonio. Atlanta has been billed as “the Spurs east” and have Dwight Howard patrolling the paint.

Currently, the leading defensive teams have been living up to expectations, at least in terms of limiting opponent’s scoring.

But in Washington’s case, things haven’t been consistent enough to draw a conclusion just yet.

Opposing bigs, including Hassan Whiteside, Richaun Holmes, Joel Embiid, DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein, have dominated against Washington in limited action.

Mahinmi, who’s supposed to provide rim protection, is out at least four to six weeks following knee surgery, which puts even more pressure on Gortat.

Whiteside: 20 points, 13 rebounds, 23 minutes
Holmes: 20 points, 12 rebounds, 38 minutes
Embiid: 11 points, 12 rebounds, 14 minutes
Cousins: 22 points, 5 rebounds, 26 minutes
Cauley-Stein: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 22 minutes

Gortat struggled to defend the paint, particularly in pick-and-roll situations, and Washington’s defense crumbled. Washington showed progress against the Toronto Raptors in the final preseason game, but the sample size was large enough to cause some concern.

Smith, a capable defender, isn’t enough to fill the void created by Mahinmi’s absence.

It will have to be done by committee and Brooks will have to get creative with his lineups.

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We’ve seen Morris and Nicholson share the floor, giving the Wizards some mobility.

The guards have to step up, too.

The burden cannot be placed on the center to get stops every time up the floor.

Wall and Beal have to do a better job of preventing their assignments from getting inside and distributing the ball without any resistance.

Porter and Oubre will be asked to help the guards without giving up open shots from the perimeter as well.

Washington’s identity, especially defensively, is a work in progress.

In terms of talent, the Wizards have what it takes to make progress. All of the starters match up well against opposing teams physically. A full year with Morris in the lineup should instantly help the team become better defensively.

The Wizards showed some signs of improvement during preseason, but they still have some holes left to plug.

Next: Beal Sets All-Star Goals For 2016-17 Season

Mahinmi will be out for at least a few more weeks and Washington cannot afford to put themselves in a ditch early. If they want to build their defensive foundation, it has to start immediately on Thursday night against the Hawks.