Washington Wizards Have Regained Fun Element, Starting To Win Games

Washington Wizards have played loose, care-free basketball in December and the fun elements have propelled them up the standings.

After putting themselves in an early-season hole by dropping winnable games late in fourth quarters and in overtime, the Washington Wizards have climbed out to the middle of the playoff picture.

Washington is currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, but spent most of this season at the bottom next to the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.

Ernie Grunfeld didn’t make any changes to the roster, yet the team is beginning to put it together, with the second unit slowly starting to contribute and the defense showing occasional flashes of competence.

The Wizards won 10 of their 15 contests in December, catapulting them back up into the top eight.

The composition of the team is still heavily flawed.

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Scott Brooks has been forced to rely on his starting unit more than anticipated and the Wizards lack the necessary depth to compete against contending teams on a nightly basis.

But somehow, the Wizards have begun to turn it around.

The bench has remained the same.

Trey Burke and Jason Smith are still go-to options, yet the Wizards are beginning to win games.

It’s difficult to pinpoint how the Wizards have managed to make such a turnaround overnight, even with the use of statistics.

In this case, though, it’s pretty clear that the Wizards have focused more on doing what the sport was actually created for: having fun.

Ted Leonsis, like the rest of those who own professional sports teams, spends millions of dollars to improve his basketball team each year with the hopes of capturing the elusive Larry O’Brien trophy.

Players spend months working on their game in the off-season, practicing thousands of shots on a daily basis to solidify their spot in the league.

Behind the curtain, basketball is just a game meant to be played for enjoyment.

A kid pretending to hit buzzer-beating shots in his backyard is still doing the same thing as LeBron James. Since pros, like LeBron and those who put on the red-white-blue uniform for the Washington Wizards, have a ton of pressure on them to perform, it’s easy to forget that basketball is just a game.

During their recent stretch of wins, the Wizards have regained the sense of “fun” that most winning teams have. They’ve played loose basketball instead of overthinking shots and sequences.

Bradley Beal, in particular, is letting it fly from deep, as opposed to trying to prove to himself and the rest of the world that he can create off the dribble. Marcin Gortat is making an effort to dunk the basketball instead of anxiously tossing it up from the post.

On Friday, the Wizards strung together their most dominant home victory of the season over the Brooklyn Nets.

Burke scored a career-high 27 points and John Wall dished out 14 assists on the night. Gortat dunked the ball multiple times and Markieff Morris finished two alley-oops.

In 2015, when the team made it to the conference semi-finals, the Washington Wizards had many of the elements they’re currently displaying. Wall is connecting with his two core teammates, Beal and Otto Porter, more than ever. Gortat is finishing strong at the basket and the second unit is scoring at a high pace.

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The hesitancy the Wizards played with at the beginning of the season has evaporated. Winning games at a consistent basis has alleviated much of the anxiety, but playing “fun” basketball has led to the winning.