Washington Wizards have struggled to win games away from home this season and there are certain failures that could be pointed out.
“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.”
The author of this quote was not a member of the Washington Wizards.
The road has become a particular nuisance to the Wizards this year, an impediment that continues to rear its ugly head every time it begins to look like the team is ready to make a serious push in the Eastern Conference.
The Washington Wizards currently stand at 18-18 – good for 7th in the Eastern Conference. They are an impressive 14-6 at the Verizon Center – 4th best in the Eastern Conference and tied for 7th best overall in the NBA.
On the road, they are plain bad – 28th in the NBA, ahead of only the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks. In fact, of the top 20 teams in the league based on win percentage, no other team has fewer than 5 road wins.
There are a couple of places to start when diagnosing the Wizards’ road issues.
The Bench
Washington’s bench – to put it bluntly – is bad.
Prior to the game versus the Milwaukee Bucks, Washington’s bench ranked 29th in the NBA in points, 28th in the NBA in plus/minus, 30th in the NBA in rebounding, 30th in the NBA in assists, and 27th in 3-point percentage.
By any metric, they’re a below average group.
It’s a bench that has struggled all season in terms of consistency and production, forcing the starters to rank 2nd in the NBA in minutes played.
Scott Brooks has tried any and all combinations imaginable, but to be frank, the talent isn’t there and there’s no reason to think this is going to change other than the possible return of Ian Mahinmi.
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While there is a drop-off in play from the bench on the road versus at home, it’s not overwhelming.
The bench, frankly, isn’t good no matter where they play.
Shooting percentages drop, but overall, in terms of points, rebounds and assists, the drop-off isn’t monumental.
That doesn’t excuse the bench the Wizards’ front office has built.
Washington does not have that bench player who can come in and score a consistent 12-15 points, providing that spark on nights where the starters come out of the gates slowly or maintain earlier momentum the starters may have established.
Leads are routinely lost, and by the time starters come back in, it’s difficult to regain momentum.
Washington doesn’t have an Eric Gordon, Louis Williams, Jamal Crawfor or Will Barton.
Because of that, they have relied most heavily for bench scoring on Marcus Thornton – their leading bench scorer who averages an underwhelming 6.6 points on 40 percent shooting from the field.
The Starters
Washington’s starters are 3rd in the NBA in points per game, averaging 81.5 points and 4th in the NBA in points per game on the road at 78.2.
They are also 9th in the NBA in plus/minus on the road at a net zero (0) currently.
In the first half of road games, they are 5th in the NBA, averaging 41.5 points on a +/- of 2.6.
The second half is where the starters run into trouble, dropping to 36.1 points on a +/- of -1.3, which is tied for 17th in the NBA. They start well, but wear down in the second half of ball games.
In terms of individual players, there is a drop in production.
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John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter all have decreased production in terms of points, shooting percentages and free throw attempts on the road.
On a points per game basis, the decrease equates to a 14.3 percent drop in production.
On the flip side, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat increase their production, averaging more points, rebounds and shoot at a higher percentage away from Verizon Center.
In 2013-14, the Washington Wizards had a winning road record (22-19), tied for 8th in the NBA and went an impressive 5-1 in the NBA Playoffs.
That roster had a mix of youth and veteran pros.
Wall and Beal, although established to a degree, were still cementing their place in the NBA and were not relied on to the degree they currently are.
The 2013-’14 season was their first experience adjusting to playing meaningful basketball games. Trevor Ariza, Nene and Gortat were seasoned pros – players who have seen enough NBA arenas to not be affected by road life in the NBA and playing in an opposing arena in hostile environments.
Ariza seemed to thrive on the road, shooting better from the field, 3-point range and averaging nearly 3 points higher on the road than he did at Verizon Center.
The trio of Wall, Beal and Otto Porter is the foundation of the team.
Although they seem to struggle to a degree on the road, the team isn’t going to nor should they take the ball out of their hands.
Given the burden those three, in particular Wall and Beal, carry for this team, it’s also unfair to say they are where the problem lies.
They need more from Otto.
Otto Porter is playing the role Ariza did during his time in D.C. – the modern day 3-and-D.
Porer has steadily improved and in addition to shooting a high percentage, he does a lot of the dirty work while also shooting a blistering 43.3 percent from the 3-point line.
He’s been one of Washington’s most consistent, available and steady performers. He has, however, failed to perform to that same level when he’s on the road. He is far from a liability on the road, but he scores 15.2 percent less in addition to shooting 9.8 percent worse from the field.
In the 2013-14 season, Ariza was a calming influence and true x-factor on the road. His defensive ability, shooting and frankly his steel-will on the road took pressure off the backcourt.
Whereas Porter has been solid, we’re yet to see the Ariza-esque performances from Porter. None were likely as big as Ariza’s 17-8 line in that group’s first playoff game at Chicago in Round 1 of the playoffs on 5-8 shooting from the field.
Ariza (and Nene) helped lead the team as they won all three games on Chicago’s homecourt. Ariza is a long-tenured NBA player while Porter is in his second season as a full-time starter, so to expect those ice in your veins performances may not be fair, but Washington needs a little more than what they’re currently getting.
What’s the answer, then?
The Washington Wizards need help, first and foremost. That’s easier said than ,because with all contracts now guaranteed, Washington is largely tied to this roster.
Trades and veteran free agents are likely to be discussed but there doesn’t seem to be anything imminent. For now, Washington needs three things to occur:
Get improved play from the bench
Kelly Oubre Jr. was improving prior to the concussion which held him out of game action in mid-December. The sooner Oubre gets back to that level of play, the better.
Jason Smith, of late, has also been scorching from the field, shooting 67.3 percent from the field in December and 64.3 percent in January.
Washington still needs more, and while Oubre and Smith have flashed, neither one nor anyone on the bench can provide the team a reliable scoring threat on a night-in and night-out basis.
That 3rd option who can get hot and create his own offense is currently not part of this roster.
The backcourt needs to step up even more
I agree this is unfair, but this is the result of an off-season that failed to bring significant bench help.
The hope has to be that as Wall and Beal continue to grow as the clear centerpieces of the offense, that their efficiency and production will slip less when they travel away from home
Get more from Otto Porter.
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The Washington Wizards are playing solid basketball after a slow start to the season, but if they can’t get a grip on the problems facing them away from their home confines, it could derail the momentum they seem to be building.