Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: Why the Wizards Should Acquire A Scoring Guard Before the NBA Trade Deadline

What is a realistic prediction for how the team finishes? 50 wins? ECF?
— Jon Parker (@jon_d_parker) January 30, 2017

Okay – so the Wizards are rockin’ with a 27 and 20 record, with the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans coming up on their schedule. Let’s assume Washington takes care of business and beat all three lottery-bound teams, like they should.

Another three wins would put them at seven wins in a row.

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That’s real momentum – momentum that builds and leads to an even bigger streak.

But for now, let’s just assume the Wizards will have 30 wins over their first 50 games.

Their winning percentage would be about 60 percent.

Now let’s apply that for the full regular season – so, 82 games.

If the Wizards continue to win at this pace – meaning, 60 percent of their total games – they will finish with 49 wins.

Washington hasn’t had a 50-win season since they last won a championship in 1978.

If they manage to steal a couple of games and don’t drop any they shouldn’t, then a 50-win season isn’t necessarily farfetched.

As for where they’ll finish in the playoffs – that’s all based on match ups, really.

Washington matches up better against the Boston Celtics than they do the Toronto Raptors, who are the lower seed. No one expected the Washington Wizards to advance to the semifinals in 2014 or 2015, but they had match ups on their side.

The Wizards, like any other Eastern Conference team outside of the Cleveland Cavaliers, could get bounced out of the first round or make it to the Conference Finals.

Their recent run is impressive, but it’s not nearly enough to separate them from the Celtics or Raptors, even. That could change, but for now, they’re just another good – not great- team in the East.