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Washington Wizards’ Marcin Gortat Deserves More Credit Than He’s Gotten

By John Cannady

Jan 31, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) rebounds in front of New York Knicks center Willy Hernangomez (14) during the second quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) rebounds in front of New York Knicks center Willy Hernangomez (14) during the second quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards have climbed to the fourth spot in the East, but they couldn’t have improved without Marcin Gortat’s career-high production.

Currently sitting at 28-20, the Washington Wizards have done a complete 180 turn from the beginning of the season.

John Wall has been named to his fourth consecutive All-Star game, Bradley Beal is looking like he’s worth his monstrous contract, and Otto Porter has reinvented himself by becoming one the NBA’s top 3-point shooters.

While GM Ernie Grunfeld gets a lot of flack from Wizards fans, one of his best moves was acquiring Markieff Morris for a draft pick in an underwhelming 2016 class. Morris is easily playing the best basketball of his career.

However, the guy who frequently gets left out of the “why are the Wizards playing better now?” conversation is Marcin Gortat.

Under former coach Randy Wittman’s watch, Gortat would often be singled out for playing “soft” and would sit the Polish big man for long stretches at a time during games.

While Gortat wouldn’t make it any easier on himself by going back at Wittman through the media, the Washington Wizards were clearly a better team once Gortat was on the court and dialed in.

A lot of Wizards fans in the past (including this site) have been critical of Gortat’s game.

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But with his size, rebounding, and the mastery of the pick-and-roll with Wall, Gortat has now become arguably just as important to Scott Brooks‘ game plan as any other player not named John Wall.

Beal has also began to utilize Gortat’s excellent knowledge of when to set picks within the offense to expand his game.

Beal now finds himself wide open at the 3-point line during the game at least 3 or 4 times because of Gortat, who sets picks to free him.

Along with his knowledge of the pick-and-roll game with Wall and when to set picks to free Beal, Gortat’s rebounding is also overlooked.

Gortat’s seemingly newfound talent of timing the “backtap” of an offensive rebound has given the Wizards more second chance points than his previous years of patrolling the middle for the team.

Gortat’s defense has also seemed to pick up.

He has defended and rebounded very well against some of the better centers of the NBA, which also contributes to Wall and the Washington Wizards’ fast break numbers. Last year, the coaching staff constantly talked about wanting the guards to mix it up inside. But with Gortat cleaning up the glass, that’s been a non-issue this season.

Gortat also brings a certain aggressiveness in the middle that Wittman maybe thought he was missing in the previous seasons. He has seemed to block or alter more shots in the middle than he has in the past.

Combine his already potent offensive game to his now excellent defense and rebounding, and along with the other starters, Gortat is having his best year of his career.

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Another key about Gortat that is rarely spoken about is how durable he has been for the Wizards.

On a team that has had a few health concerns, he has rarely missed a game during his time in D.C.

Unfortunately, success in the NBA can be fleeting if you don’t continue to make moves to get better.

Gortat’s name often comes up in hypothetical trade rumors.

The Wizards have (when he gets healthy) a younger center waiting in the wings in Ian Mahinmi.

Also, with the new comically high salaries around the league, Gortat’s current contract is very financially friendly.

While it’s no secret that the bench for the Wizards hasn’t been gangbusters, they have recently come together more.

The team’s best move (for this season, anyway) is to keep the band together and not mess with any type of chemistry with a trade.

Next: Why the Wizards Should Make a Trade Deadline Deal

If the playoffs started today, the Washington Wizards would have home court advantage. And without Gortat’s production and surprising improvement, it wouldn’t have been a possibility.

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