Just three games into the 2017-18 NBA Season, the Washington Wizards stand with a record of 3-0. Unlike last season, the Wizards are off to a fantastic start, which should bode well for them moving forward.
Last season, the Washington Wizards started with three straight losses and sat with a record of 0-3. That 0-3 start turned into 2-5, which turned into 2-8, which turned into an abysmal 3-9 record for Washington. Yes, the Wizards salvaged their season by rallying at the right time, but that slow start was without a doubt their lowest point of the season.
This season, however, Washington would be without their starting power forward Markieff Morris, who’s recovering from from sports hernia surgery, and will be out for a few weeks. Replacing Keef while treading water was going to be tough. But Washington has come out looking like a team, that was a win away from a visit to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
It started against the Philadelphia 76er’s, where the Wizards headlined the season opener on ESPN. Fans flocked from all over to watch the process unfold as Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, and the new look Sixers finally took center stage together.
While the focus was on the Sixers’ young core, the Wizards stole the show in the fourth quarter with a multitude of highlight plays, clutch shots, and scrappiness. Giving the Wizards a 120-115 victory.
The Wizards’ next test was against the Detroit Pistons. In the early going, the Pistons took it to Washington and ended the first half leading 65-58. Subsequently, the Wizards erupted in the third quarter for 33 points, and this time Otto Porter, Jr was getting in on the scoring action alongside John Wall and Bradley Beal.
However, the Wizards squandered what was a 15-point lead and the game came down to one final possession for the Pistons.
Down 113-111 with 20 seconds remaining, Reggie Jackson drove to the paint searching for the game-tying layup. But Wall had other plans, as he came up with a huge block that sealed the victory for Washington.
Wall and Beal combined for 51 points against Pistons, while Porter added 28 points. The Wizards’ trio combined for an astonishing 79 points.
Then came Monday night, when the Wizards faced their first road test against the up and coming Denver Nuggets led by the crafty Nikola Jokic.
Similar to the first two games, the Wizards weren’t going to make this an easy one for our viewing purposes. The Nuggets fought tooth and nail for a full 48 minutes, but this contest was yet again decided in the fourth quarter of play.
With both guards struggling, the wings Kelly Oubre, Jr. and Porter stepped up big when the team needed them the most. Oubre scored nine of his fourteen points in the fourth, while both he and Porter battled Denver’s front-court, and made life tough for them by contesting every shot.
Conversely, the extra slack picked up by Washington’s wings, provided Wall and Beal enough time to compose themselves for yet another clutch performance. The Wizards’ backcourt put the game on ice in Denver, as the Wizards won 109-104.
This marked the fourth time in franchise history the Washington Wizards have started the season 3-0. So what’s going on in Washington?
Individually, Wall leads the way with 24.3 ppg and 10 apg. Although Wall is shooting poorly from the field (39.6%), he’s being much more aggressive and getting to the line, attempting a league-leading 11.7 free throws a game.
Not too far behind, Beal is averaging 23.3 ppg and is also playing more aggressive than we’ve ever seen. Beal’s aggression has come with a cost, as he’s neglected the three ball so far, and is only shooting 25% from deep.
More importantly, the play of both Porter and Oubre has been phenomenal to watch.
For Porter, he seems to finally be coming into his own, and looks ready to make the next step after receiving a $104 million max contract this offseason. He’s averaging 18.3 points, 9 rebounds per game, and has an eFG% of 57 percent. Porter’s a legit third scorer, and has made smart play after smart play.
Then comes Oubre, the quintessential X-factor for this Wizards team. Along with his top-notch defensive effort, Oubre looks much more comfortable offensively. Through three games, Oubre is 5-of-13 from 3-point range. It took him nine games to equal the same mark last season.
As a team, there are plenty of positives to go around as well. The Wizards rank 5th in the league in offensive rating with 113.09, have a true shooting percentage of 57.2 percent, and have been effective while only going 21-of-69 from deep.
In contrast, the Wizards still haven’t figured it out defensively. They rank 20th in the league with a 108.49 defensive rating. Additionally, the revamped bench only plays an average of 15.1 minutes per game, but are at least scoring 29.7 points, which is more than last season.
Initially, I was apprehensive on writing a piece like this just three games into the season. It’s the time of the year most people overreact, and look too much into small sample sizes when there are a full 70+ games left to be played.
However, a 3-0 start deserves some recognition in this city. The Wizards are a team that’s relevant in their league, shown respect and is finally garnering some national media exposure. So I won’t apologize for getting excited about this 3-0 start because, in the despair of D.C. sports, the Wizards are a glimmer of hope.