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Washington Wizards, Scott Brooks Could Consider Resting John Wall and Bradley Beal

By John Cannady

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Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks has played his starters heavy minutes and could consider resting John Wall and Bradley Beal soon.

Heading into All-Star break, the Washington Wizards are sitting at 33-21, which is good for third in the Eastern Conference.

John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter are all having career years, while Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat are performing like All-Stars.

Together, the Wizards have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA. But if you’ve watched any of the games this year, there’s clearly a significant drop off when it’s time for the Washington Wizards’ bench to check in and give the starters a rest.

Scott Brooks is often forced to put the starters back in, just to maintain leads or close out games that should’ve been blowouts.

While that has served the Wizards well so far, Brooks may have to start thinking about the big picture and start resting a few players to eventually save them for the NBA Playoffs.

Resting starters for the playoffs is nothing new for established NBA teams that are perennially in the playoffs.

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The coaches of these teams take calculated risks to sit their superstars on games that they deem as “scheduled losses” and if the team happens to lose while the stars sit, ultimately the loss doesn’t affect their playoff standing.

That would be a complete change for this current Wizards team.

For most of Wall’s career, the Wizards have had to fight hard well into late March and early April to finally clinch a spot in the playoffs.

It’s going to be a hard choice for Coach Brooks coming down the stretch with this team, thinking about the long-term results and success.

Does he continue to play the starters heavy minutes to try and secure a high seed to obtain home court advantage in the playoffs, where the Washington Wizards have been almost unbeatable, or does he sit Wall or Beal (or both) a few games to try and preserve them for the playoffs but face losing a few games and slipping some spots in the East.

Seeds two through six seem up for grabs. Starting after the All-Star break, the Washington Wizards’ schedule is filled with road games and while they are a top three team at home, it’s been a different story when they’ve hit the road.

If the Wizards go on a two or three game losing streak during that stretch, they could possibly slip in the standings, losing home court advantage in the playoffs.

Beal, who could possibly replace Kevin Love in the All-Star game, has been healthy for the first time in his career.

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Wall underwent double knee surgery in the off-season and his style of play is often concerning, given how much he relies on drives to the basket.

The team is going to go as far as their backcourt can take them, but if Brooks continues to play them this much, it could come back to haunt the Washington Wizards.

This type of success is a new thing for the Wizards and there is nothing like the feeling of winning.

The home crowds are now squarely behind the Wizards, there are national media outlets covering the team regularly and the team has gotten nationally televised games.

There is a new buzz around the team and you can tell that the players are enjoying winning and playing well together.

In previous seasons, Wall has shown that he is able to play – and play well – through a variety of ailments, including the sprained ankle he is currently nursing.

It all comes down to what is more important to Coach Brooks and the team as a whole.

Next: Predicting a Wizards Trade Deadline Deal

These questions and problems are new but welcomed territory that only the elite teams in the NBA face coming down the stretch in a long season.

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