The Washington Wizards Lost Stars, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat

Since John Wall’s absence, two of the Washington Wizards starters have appeared both lost and frustrated on the court–Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat. These two starters’ lack of production have placed an unfair burden on the rest of the team.

When it was announced that the Washington Wizards‘ John Wall would be sidelined for two weeks, due to a knee injury, it was naturally assumed that each player would take their game to another level. Primarily, their starters would fill the void left by their 4-time All-Star. However, two of the Wizards’ starters have made a bad situation worse.

Just because the captain of the ship has gone down, doesn’t mean Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat have to take the ship down with them. That’s exactly what these starters have done. When Gortat is unable to grab a rebound, or get the putback, he literally hangs his head down. While he’s pouting and looking down at the floor, he neglects to run back on defense. Leaving four Wizards’ defenders to contend on the other end.

While Keef is playing like a rookie, getting early fouls, including a technical which may or may not have cost the Wizards the game against the Trail Blazers.

Gortat was used to Wall dishing him the ball for an easy dunk or layup. While Keef played off of Wall’s fast energy and confidence. Without their leader, these two players appear completely lost on the floor. For seasoned veterans, this type of behavior is unacceptable.

Kelly Oubre, Jr. has employed the tactic of the ‘next man up’, and on some nights when the starters are sluggish, he is in fact leading the team with his infectious energy. In his third year, this young NBA player is performing more like a professional, than the two aforementioned veterans.

Keef can no longer hide behind his injury, after he was out earlier for hernia surgery. While the Polish Machine has absolutely no excuse for not hitting the On button.

After their slow start on Monday against Minnesota, while live tweeting the game, this was my reaction:

The bench did their job in helping to carry the Wizards to victory over the Wolves. While Otto Porter, Jr. sealed the deal with his clutch performance.

Bradley Beal has been having the best season of his career. He had an off night against Minnesota–which is allowed for every NBA player. But with Keef and Gortat, almost every night has been an off night.

Beal and Porter have been doing their jobs. While the bench has stepped up in epic proportions, and have played like a starting lineup in their own right.

However, if the Wizards want to remain in playoff contention, they don’t have the luxury to wait the two weeks while Wall is out, with Keef and Gortat missing in action. It doesn’t make sense that they lost their ability to perform, just because Wall isn’t on the floor with them.

With their best player sidelined, the Wizards are already shorthanded. But when Keef and Gortat don’t show up, they’re placing an unnecessary burden on the rest of the team. The team not only has to make up for Wall’s loss, but they also have to carry these two at the same time. The two might as well be on the inactive list.

Oubre may have to be reinserted into the starting lineup once again, with Keef coming off the bench. It’s not permanent, just until Wall returns. As for the center position, (take a deep breath Wizards fans), Ian Mahinmi should start, with Jason Smith and Gortat sharing backup roles. It’s only a temporary adjustment, but one that’s needed, so that these two weeks aren’t a complete waste.