Wiz of Awes
Fansided

Washington Wizards: A Festivus for the Rest of Us

By Nicholas Arguelles

SEINFELD -- 'The Shower Head' Episode 15 -- Pictured: (l-r) Estelle Harris as Estelle Costanza, Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza (Photo by Margaret Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SEINFELD -- 'The Shower Head' Episode 15 -- Pictured: (l-r) Estelle Harris as Estelle Costanza, Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza (Photo by Margaret Norton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 16:Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks reacts after Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) is called for a technical foul during the second half of Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs between the Washington Wizards and the Atlanta Hawks at the Verizon Center on Sunday, April 16, 2017. The Washington Wizards defeated the Atlanta Hawks 114-107. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 16:Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks reacts after Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) is called for a technical foul during the second half of Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs between the Washington Wizards and the Atlanta Hawks at the Verizon Center on Sunday, April 16, 2017. The Washington Wizards defeated the Atlanta Hawks 114-107. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images) /

Airing of Grievances

Welcome, newcomers. Here is where I’ll list all the instances in which the Wizards disappointed me in the last year. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now you’re gonna hear about it!

After being a game away from making the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the expectation for this season was for the Wizards to take the next step. After a 4-2 start, it looked like that would come to fruition.

Since then, however, the Wizards have had more problems than answers and they’ve found more than one way to lose games. On one end, the Wizards have blown their fair share of leads and even when they’re up 20 the lead doesn’t feel safe.

But what’s irked me the most is their ever so frequent tendency of playing down to their opponents. Teams like the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and depleted Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets teams have all had their way with Washington. It hasn’t been the most encouraging thing to watch and the same rhetoric spewed out after these losses have started to get old.

As a team, the Wizards have shied away from playing defense for a full 48 minutes, not dictating the tempo of games, looking uninterested, and playing unselfishly as a unit (More specifically the starters). Too often players have just looked to get their shots off rather than making the extra pass and playing within the flow of the offense.

They frankly haven’t committed themselves to making winning plays night in and night out. Whether it’s valuing each possession or something as small as boxing out, Washington just hasn’t done that on a consistent basis yet. You cannot be taken seriously in this league if you have losing habits.

From an individual standpoint, there have been some issues as well and I’ll try my best not to nitpick here.

  • Markieff Morris – To start the season, Morris received a rightful pass for his down play because he was coming off an injury. However, Morris has still looked bad out there. Whether it’s playing flat, not rebounding or being a foul machine, Morris has been off and clearly isn’t the same player he was last year.
  • Marcin Gortat – The 33-year-old out of Poland has shown his age more times than not this season. As a result, the Polish Machine has struggled to stay in front of opposing bigs and rarely sees the floor in the fourth quarter of games. Oh and please no more back and forths with LaVar Ball.
  • Otto Porter – We’ve seen what Porter is capable of when he gets the ball on offense, but Porter has to demand touches more. You can’t just sit there and be content with not getting the ball on offense. Be more aggressive OP.
  • The Backcourt – The backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal are clearly the leaders of this team and the Wizards go as they go. However, the two prolific guards need to move the ball more often and minimize dribbling late into the shot clock and going ISO ball. Trust your teammates and trust that they’ll either get the ball back to you or make a smart play.
  • Scott Brooks – The honeymoon phase is over for head coach Brooks. The main issues have come from inconspicuous lineups, inability to adjust mid-game, and slow developing offensive sets. Brooks has been a great coach, but he has shown some bad habits from his time as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

You may call all of this nitpicking — and that’s honestly fair — but right now this team isn’t where they need to be. We cannot keep tiptoeing around these problems and bringing them to light can only help make things better.

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