There have been a few bumps to start the season, but the Washington Wizards are still striving towards their mark—the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Washington Wizards are coming off of two solid wins, and it appears that they have figured it out on the defensive end. Before they lost to teams that they should’ve beaten (Lakers, Mavericks), because they allowed their defense to collapse. Some have even argued, that they played down to their competition.
Most likely they took those teams for granted, and didn’t put in the required effort to close out games. The Wizards knew what they needed to do, but for some reason they weren’t executing. But lately, it has all come together.
No longer are they opening up the lanes for opponents to waltz to the basket. They are contesting almost every shot. Whether it’s at the rim or out on the perimeter.
Even if they turn over the ball, they hustle back to make sure the other team doesn’t capitalize on their mistakes.
Everyone on the team has gotten exponentially better as the season wears on. Otto Porter, Jr.‘s hustle plays are a sight to behold. He’s all over the court on both the offensive and defensive ends.
John Wall is guarding his man sometimes before they even reach over the timeline. If it’s even possible, he’s faster than he was last year. Could be due to his offseason conditioning, or to the fact that this is the first season he’s fully healthy.
He is without a doubt the best shot-blocking guard in the NBA. Not only does he block the shot at the rim, but he’ll race from the other end of the court to reject the shot.
It’s not just his legs, but his dunks are more emphatic this season, that it sometimes appears that he’s going to break the rim. For their season opener against the Sixers, I was live tweeting the game for WizofAwes, and this is how I felt after his monster dunk:
Me after that John Wall dunk. #WizSixers #Wizards pic.twitter.com/yHMivVrHVi
— Wiz of Awes (@WizOfAwes) October 18, 2017
On the offensive end, Kelly Oubre, Jr. has really come into his own. He’s having a breakout season, and recording double digits almost every game. Oubre is also very comfortable at the 3-point line this season, averaging 42 percent.
He’s also much more disciplined on the defensive end. No more early and silly fouls. Oubre has truly transformed into a reliable starter when needed, as he filled in for Markieff Morris to start the season, and a legitimate Sixth Man.
Bradley Beal has truly locked in this season. Every outing he brings his A-Game. He’s averaging 24.6 points per game this season, and 4.6 rebounds.
He still has the bitter taste of Game 7 against Boston, as he aggressively drives the lane for a lay up, spot up jumper, or knocking down a three. He’s shooting from the inside more, and baiting his defender into a foul. He said, he wants to get to the free throw line more this season, and he has.
This season, Wall should be in the MVP conversation. But Porter is having a better season than last. Against the Golden State Warriors he was the best player on the floor.
On the defensive end, his long arms are everywhere. Ball about to go out-of-bounds, there’s Porter hitting it back in. Hustling for that 50-50 ball on the court, there’s Porter on the floor with it. He’s like Spider Man with those arms. Once the ball is in his hand, forget about someone pulling it away.
Then there’s the Polish Machine, Marcin Gortat. He has been a constant for the Wizards. He’s almost averaging a double-double this season, with 10.6 points and 8.8 rebounds.
Now that Markieff Morris is back, teams aren’t pulling that okie-doke anymore. His three-pointers are on point, as well as his fadeaway jumpers. He also recognizes that the Wizards’ true worth will be put to the test, when they go up against better teams. He had this to say after their recent win against the Hawks:
"I’m “not taking credit away from the Lakers and the Hawks, but they aren’t the best offensive teams. Once we get to those good teams then we’ll be able to measure where we are”."
The second-unit is also taking shape. Tim Frazier is finding his rhythm, while Mike Scott has been crashing the boards. Ian Mahinmi is even getting back into the swing of things. While Jodie Meeks is still a knockdown 3-point shooter, even though he has a few off nights. Tomas Satoransky is seeing the floor more, while Jason Smith hasn’t of late. However, Coach Scott Brooks said, he’ll make sure Smith gets more minutes.
The Wizards have also figured out, that they’re not going to beat a team in a shootout, and that defense must be played. It’s always good for a team to learn their mistakes now, than pay later.
The Washington Wizards aren’t a perfect team, but with each game, win or lose, they’re getting better. They’re not going to pass all their tests this season, but as long as they’re ready for the Conference Finals, that’s all that matters.