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Washington Wizards 2016-2017 NBA Season Preview: 5 Reasons to Be Optimistic

By Ben Mehic

Mar 17, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) yells from the players bench against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Washington Wizards won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) yells from the players bench against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Washington Wizards won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward
Apr 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward /

4) A fresh second unit

Washington didn’t have much of a second unit last year.

Because of injuries, players like Garrett Temple and Jared Dudley were asked to play a lot more than usual. Temple became the team’s starting guard for 43 games. That’s a problem.

The Wizards are now the youngest they’ve been since Wall entered the league six years ago. The second unit has been completely revamped and now features Trey Burke, Tomas Satoransky, Andrew Nicholson and Oubre, all of whom are in their early 20’s.

The team’s prize bench player is Ian Mahinmi, who started for the Indiana Pacers this past season.

There aren’t a lot of teams in the NBA that have a player of his caliber coming off the bench. He was a top-10 defender last year and will be able to help the Wizards regain their defensive identity.

Just because we’ve watched them play for so long, we’ll miss Ramon Sessions, Temple and Nene. But on the court, their production will be replaced.

Brooks will have the versatility to work with that Wittman lacked during the 2015-16 season. He could play Satoransky, who’s 6-7, at multiple positions and space the floor with Nicholson at the four. The days of seeing Kris Humphries force the ball up from three are over.

We don’t know how good the second unit will be because it’s entirely new. Besides Marcus Thornton, who likely won’t be in the rotation, no one from this past season’s bench is returning this year.

The youth and upside of each player, coupled with Brooks’ player development chops, should be enough for the fans to remain optimistic about the Washington Wizards’ bench.

Next: 3) A Full Year of Markieff Morris

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