The Washington Wizards: Built like a Championship Team

Washington Wizards’ role players have been key to the team’s success, and their play will determine whether or not the team advances throughout the playoffs.

Everyone knows that John Wall and Bradley Beal are the heart of the Washington Wizards. They are presumably the engine that keeps the Wizards moving.

However, over the years the Wizards have not only managed to make great top draft picks. They have been able to establish a set of core players that would prove that they could compete with any team.

More importantly, the role players have managed to provide gas to the engine. Players such as Otto Porter, Marcin Gortat, Markieff Morris,and Kelly Oubre all have proven to be vital pieces towards the Wizards success. For the first time in a long time the Wizards have finally found a team with some depth to it that has proven to be essential in them winning games.

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These key players along side with everyone else on the bench have finally taken on the responsibility of doing their part and accepting their roles. Never doing too much but always doing more.

To give you an example, Otto Porter quietly had an amazing season averaging a career high in PPG, FG%, 3PT%, FT%, and RPG. Marcin Gortat averaged a double-double the entire season (10.4PPG and 10.3RPG). These are just some of the small things that they have been able to contribute as members of the starting five.

Whats been most impressive about watching these players develop is how quickly they’ve adapted to Coach Brooks system. Players like Bojan Bogdanovic, Jason Smith, and Brandon Jennings have all excelled coming off the bench adding their own versatility when it matters most.

Kelly Oubre has been exceptional in only his second year in the league. His defense has proven to be so vital for the Wizards that his minutes have doubled since last year. His lengthy frame allows him to defend against big men inside and against any guard on the perimeter allowing his other teammates to focus on offense.

As we all know the NBA is a copy cat league. When there is a championship team that has proven on multiple occasions that their method works, the majority of the league tries to emulate that same style of play.

Every now and then you run into “super teams”. These teams have managed to win championships by adding one or two superstars to their team through free agency or trades.

Most NBA teams can’t just acquire super stars. They would have to spend all the money in their available cap space or offer as much as they can that’s not money (players, draft picks, etc). Typically it’s extremely difficult to sign a super star to your team if you aren’t competing for a championship.

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Teams such as the 04′ Pistons, 11′ Mavericks, 14′ Spurs, and even 15′ Warriors have all managed to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy without acquiring any major super star. Not to steal the 76ers slogan but in reality they did “Trust the Process”.

With a set of core players averaging close to 10 or more points a game, these teams have proven why your draft picks are so valuable to the future of your team. Establishing a well rounded starting five is super important in the success of your franchise.

As these teams have modeled, when your entire starting five contributes and produces results it only leads to more wins in the regular season and deeper runs in the playoffs.

Each of those teams listed above have all had players in their starting five that have contributed in one way or another. Whether it be by points, assists, rebounding or even playing defense and doing the dirty work. These things are what make teams champions, along with a solid bench that gives an opponents starting five a run for their money.

Although some of those listed champions did acquire some players through free agency, for the most part only about one maybe two players from each of those teams would actually be considered a game changer. By game changer I mean putting him on any other team in the league and making a significance difference.

It’s true that role players are a dime a dozen but their role is so pivotal to team success that teams invest and make a lot of moves to find the perfect ones to compliment their starting five. No team has ever won a championship without having someone on their bench contribute.

The 04′ Pistons had Lindsey Hunter. Although he could not shoot as well as Chauncey Billups, he still knocked down open shots and was a premier defender that could turn your defense into offense.

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The 11′ Mavericks had J.J. Barea, standing at exactly six feet tall (although I’m positive he was shorter). Barea proved to be a real problem for opposing teams. His speed allowed him to get into the paint with ease and his three point shooting forced defenses to adjust and pay attention to him.

If you don’t believe how frustrated he made defenses you might want to watch the Bynum incident with Barea. Even teams like the Spurs and the Warriors wouldn’t be champions if it weren’t for the fact that their benches have presented just as much as a challenge as their starting five.

That’s where the Wizards are now. The Wizards role players have contributed to their success just as much as John Wall and Bradley Beal have. If it weren’t for these role players that make the Wizards so dynamic and versatile the Wizards wouldn’t be where they are and wouldn’t be as successful as they’ve been.

It is the depth in their roster that allows them to hang around in games and that allows them to win when playing from behind. The Wizards have beaten the Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.

Next: Washington Wizards: What Does Oubre Do for You?

Simply put, they can now compete with any team in the league. This is what championship teams are made of.

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