Washington Wizards: Five Lessons From 2015 NBA Free Agency
By Ryan Eugene
4) Forgetting to fill out the entire roster
While the starting lineup of Wall, Beal, Porter, Morris, and Gortat seems set in stone, Washington can’t be afraid of going after a more capable player for the frontcourt that could then move a previous starter to the bench and create a formidable second unit.
This will also help to insure against injuries along the way.
Injuries definitely were a main reason for why the team missed the playoffs in 2016, but a close second is that the players asked to step in as replacements were routinely sub par.
Ryan Hollins started three games, DeJuan Blair routinely made me question how he was in the league, and Drew Gooden still plays like he’s at the Bethesda JCC.
Of course, we don’t want to spend big money on a player that’s going to be a bench warmer, but it should be reasonable to have the expectation that each player can contribute and not look lost if asked to enter the game and play 10 minutes.
This includes improving the bench, where Ramon Sessions and Nene were the only above average players, while Nene was dealing with injuries and Sessions backed up one of the few durable players in Wall.
Solid bench role players to add depth could include Zaza Pachulia, Ian Mahinmi, Dudley, Dwight Powell, and local product Thomas Robinson.
Next: 5) Diversify the Free Agent Strategy