Washington Wizards’ starting five of Wall, Beal, Porter, Morris, and Gortat ranked as one of the best in the league in many key categories this past season. Barring any unforeseen changes, they’ll likely roll into the 2017-18 season with the same lineup, which led the league in minutes played. Time to predict their stats for next season.
The Wizards rode their starters for much of the season, unable to consistently rely on production from their bench. It seemed like whenever Wall or Beal went to the bench, the lead the Wizards had, evaporated or the deficit they faced expanded. This became a real problem in the playoffs, when fatigue set in. But for the majority of the season, the starters produced well across the board.
John Wall and Bradley Beal paced the Wizards in scoring last season, each averaging 23.1 PPG. Their combined 46.2 PPG made up one of the best duos, and backcourts, in the league. Markeiff Morris was third in scoring with 14.0 PPG, followed by Otto Porter with 13.4 PPG.
Wall was again one of the best passers in the league, averaging a career high 10.7 APG, second in the league behind only James Harden. With the Rockets acquisition of Chris Paul this offseason, Wall is the favorite the win the assist title. Beal, meanwhile, improved as a secondary playmaker, averaging 3.5 APG.
Marcin Gortat led the team in rebounds, averaging a career high 10.4 RPG, and played in all 95 games. Morris and Porter also did solid work on the glass, averaging 6.5 and 6.4 boards, respectively. Backup center and $64 million dollar man Ian Mahinmi averaged 4.8 RPG in limited minutes.
In the 2017-18 season, the bench will be improved. Some starters may see a dip in minutes as a result. Who will improve? Regress? Let’s predict.