Washington Wizards Three Takeaways: Jason Smith Brought the Rain to Miami, as Wizards Fall To the Heat

Jason Smith shoots light out, as the Washington Wizards fall to the Miami Heat in their first preaseaon loss, 117-115.

On Wednsesday, the undefeated Washington Wizards traveled to American Airlines Arena to take on the Miami Heat, for their fourth preseason matchup. Despite not surrendering the lead until 6:50 left in the third quarter, the Wizards would eventually fall to the Heat, 117-115.

Just as Cleveland did on Sunday, the Heat sat out a number of their starters, including, Dion Waiters, Hassan Whiteside, and Goran Dragic.

John Wall (16 pts, 8 assists in 27 minutes), Bradley Beal (15 pts, 4 rebounds, 4 assists), Otto Porter, Jr (11 pts, 7 rebounds), all put in a stellar performance.

However, the story of the evening was an underperforming Wizards’ bench. The Wizards’ bench was outscored 78-45, which included an overall lackluster fourth quarter performance on the offensive end.

Miami outscored Washington 34-28 in the final quarter, capped off by a game-winning three pointer by Jordan Mickey, with less than two seconds on the clock.

Perimeter defense continues to haunt Washington. The Heat finished the night shooting 40 percent from three-point land, making 16 of their 40 shot attempts. A vast majority of these shots were wide open looks, as the Wizards’ defense struggled coming off screens all night.

Washington’s starting lineup appears primed and ready for the start of the regular season. But it was Jason Smith, who rained threes in Miami, who stole the show. 

Jason Smith earned the right to start

Scott Brooks went with Jason Smith at the four. Smith did everything in his power to earn the opening night starting job. He was unconscious from the 3-point line, knocking down four of his five shots. In 22 minutes of play, Smith led the Wizards with 20 points.

Despite consistently losing one-on-one defensive battles, Smith’s three-point ability will open up the Wizards’ offense, similar to that of Markieff Morris. Smith has distanced himself quite a bit from Mike Scott, should Brooks decide not to go with Kelly Oubre, Jr., to start the regular season.

Tim Frazier is ready 

After missing their first three preseason games, groin injury, Frazier finally made his Wizards’ debut. There were no signs of rust, as he logged in 21 quality minutes off the bench.

After adapting to the speed of the game, he settled down and really took command of the offense, in the final five minutes of the game. Although he only chipped in four points, he was aggressive at the rim pulling down three rebounds. 

It’s too early to call Frazier a pass-first point guard. However, his nine assists off beautiful passes, should calm a lot of nerves about giving Wall much needed rest, throughout the season. 

Oubre continues to flash

Oubre had another solid game, recording a double-double in 26 minutes off the bench. He knocked down 10 points, 3-for-9 from short range, and 4-for-6 at the free throw line. Although he missed all four of his shots from deep, his 14 rebounds were a team high. Beal and Ian Mahinmi pulled down 7 rebounds each. 

Oubre’s physicality on the offensive and defensive side of the glass, kept the Wizards in the game until the final seconds. Even in the final minute of the fourth quarter in a preseason game, Oubre was still battling, and was right there for the putback. 

The opening night lineup will be very intriguing. While Smith was on fire offensively, he’s a major liability on defense. Oubre, on the other hand, has tremendous athleticism on the defensive end. But he still needs to work on his handles, as could not find any rhythm with the ball.

Since the Wizards’ starting lineup all played for just under 30 minutes, it may be safe to assume that this was the final warm-up for the regular starters.

Donald Sloan and Carrick Felix, who are fighting for the final spot on the roster, both sat out against Miami. Expect to see the duo get a lot of minutes on Friday, when the Wizards travel to New York for their final preseason game, against the Knicks.