All-Time Bullets and Wizards vs. the 2016-2017 Warriors? (Guard Edition)

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Feb 28, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) celebrates with Wizards guard John Wall (2) in the final seconds against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

John Wall 2016-2017 NBA Season

Stats – 23.1 ppg, 10.7 apg, 4.2 rpg, 2.0 spg, 45.1 FG%

Reason for selecting: My expectation is that this team as completed will be an All-Star type of team with every player on the floor capable of putting the ball in the basket. What better point guard to have on that team than a player who is capable of dominating the game as a facilitator as well as a scorer?

Similar to LeBron James and maybe just a handful of other players in the NBA, John Wall has an ability to collapse a defense singlehandedly. If you recall, in the 2015-2016 season, John Wall had a game versus the Warriors where he scored 41 points and had 10 assists on 68% shooting from the field. He was the best player on the court for ¾ of that game.

His elite level ability can surge into stretches where he overwhelms a defense as we saw on several occasions this postseason. He also has the ability to be a shutdown defensive player, and on a team with great depth and playing less minutes, he would be able to concentrate defensively in a way that he currently isn’t always able to.

Gilbert Arenas 2005-2006 Season

Stats- 29.3 ppg, 6.1 apg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 spg, 44.7 FG%, 36.9 3P%

Reason for selecting: Did you really think I was really going to take a team of all time Bullets/Wizards and leave off Agent Zero? Gilbert Arenas was a must have as far as I was concerned.

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Gilbert had a chip on his shoulder, and my guess is the gym rat who could routinely be found at the Verizon Center working out in the wee hours of the night would be chomping at the bit to get at these Warriors. If it were up to Gil, he probably would take it a step further and say his version of the Warriors, starring him along with Jason Richardson could take down these current Warriors.

Against a team with firepower like Golden State you need some firepower of your own (no pun intended) and Gilbert Arenas provides just that. He was a gunner (again, no pun intended) who could get to the free throw line, averaging 10 FTA per game in the 2005-2006 season.

Unlike today’s players, Gilbert didn’t shy from going at superstars and he would be salivating at the opportunity to take on the reigning two-time MVP, Stephen Curry. His combination of strength and quickness made him a matchup nightmare and when he got hot, look out (there’s a reason he was nicknamed Hibachi).

Bradley Beal 2016-2017 NBA Season

Stats- 23.1 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.1 rpg, 48.2 FG%, 40.4 3P%

Reason for selecting: While I love the makeup of the backcourt thus far, I need one lights out shooter and the other half of the House of Guards would absolutely make my 13-man anti-Golden State Warriors roster. Bradley Beal was finally healthy and delivered a breakout season that seems to have him primed to take the next step to All-Star status in the near future.

There’s also Playoff Beal, and Playoff Beal is a different type of player. Bradley Beal has a career playoff average of 22.6 points per game and this year upped his production to 24.8 points per game. There was no better display of ‘Playoff Beal’ then his 38-point performance in Washington’s game-7 loss to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The team lost, but Brad performed in a way that we’ve come to expect from him in pressure moments.

Brad has also shown an ability to lock in defensively. In a series where there will be points aplenty, stops will be paramount to triggering runs and creating separation and Brad’s inclusion is just as much an endorsement of his ability to defend while not losing anything offensively.

Rod Strickland 1997-1998 NBA Season

Stats- 17.8 ppg, 10.5 apg, 5.3 rpg, 43.4 FG%

Reason for selecting: Similar to John Wall, I wanted another point guard to could continue to distribute the ball to the slew of scorers my team would have on the court at any given time. Rod Strickland never made an All-Star team and doesn’t fit the mold of the modern point guard with his lack of a 3-point shot.

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But don’t get it wrong, he could get to the basket against anyone in the NBA and was equally effective finishing or distributing. Rod Strickland had an innate ability to penetrate and facilitate in spite of his pedestrian outside shooting.

He had a Kyrie Irving like ability to get to and finish near the basket, but was very much un-Kyrie like because when he did penetrate, his eyes were always looking for where he could dish it.

He did this in Washington and led the league in assists playing in a lineup that featured two power forwards (Chris Webber and Juwan Howard), 7’6 plodder George Muresan, and Calbert Cheaney, a 28.3% 3-point shooter in the 1997-1998 season. Imagine how much more he could have done had they been able to space the floor.

The inclusion of Rod Strickland also is in part to keep Stephen Curry honest. In projecting this matchup I don’t want there to be any way for Steph Curry to rest or hide on defense. In a matchup where Stephen can’t be hidden, Rod’s ability to attack him similarly to how Kyrie had success was a key factor in including him on this roster.

Jeff Malone 1989-1990 NBA Season

Stats- 24.3 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.7 rpg, 49.1 FG%, 87.7 FT%

Reason for selecting: Jeff Malone was able to put the ball in the basket and do so efficiently. The career 19 points per game scorer averaged 20-plus points in his last five seasons in Washington, peaking in the 1989-1990 season at 24.3 points per game.

The 6’4 shooting guard had a solid in-between game with a high release point that made him a problematic matchup for defenders. If you think his scoring was a result of playing with an up and down (mostly down) team, think again. In the 1998 playoffs versus the Bad Boy Pistons, Jeff Malone averaged 25.6 points on a FG% of 51.5%.

His first four games of that best of five series were even better as he averaged 31 points on 57.6% shooting from the field. This, again, was against the Detroit Bad Boy Pistons and Joe Dumars, one of the tougher defenders at the shooting guard position in that era. More importantly for the composition of this roster, Jeff Malone moved well without the basketball and wouldn’t require significant possession of the basketball to be effective.

Larry Hughes 2004-2005 NBA Season

Stats- 22 ppg, 4.7 apg, 6.3 rpg, 2.9 spg, 43 FG%

Reason for selecting: Larry Hughes gets the last guard spot on this team. There are probably better players to choose from (i.e. Richard Hamilton, Phil Chenier, Earl Monroe), but Larry Hughes’ ability to be a secondary ball handler and a defender was the difference maker here.

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I wouldn’t expect him to be on the court often, but in a fast paced, up and down type of game, where activity and quick hands are ingrained in the nature of the game, I’d want the option to put in Larry Hughes.

Larry would not be overwhelmed by the pace and would ensure that if Golden State got the ball out of the John Wall or Rod Strickland’s hands, that they’d have a secondary option on the court who can push pace and initiate offense.

Additionally Larry’s ability to be disruptive as highlighted by his league leading 2.9 steals per game can trigger the fast break for the Bullets/Wizards.

*To note, Hall of Fame guard Earl Monroe of the Baltimore Bullets absolutely deserved a spot in this rotation but my knowledge of his game, how the game has evolved since the late 60s, and limited highlights of him as a Bullet made it difficult for me to give an educated opinion on his inclusion.

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All-Time Bullets and Wizards vs. the 2016-2017 Warriors? Come on!!!! (Guard Edition)

By Osman Baig | Jun 14, 2017

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