4 things Washington Wizards fans should be thankful for

Bench Scoring

Believe it or not, the most explosive bench unit in the NBA belongs to the Washington Wizards. The Wizards reserves average 20 minutes per game, the eight most minutes for a bench unit in the NBA. However, they rank much higher in scoring. Led by Davis Bertans, Moritz Wagner, and Jordan McRae, the Wizards are the second-highest scoring bench unit, accounting for 48.3 points per game. Only the LA Clippers reserves score more than the Wizards’, but they also lead the NBA in bench minutes.

For one of the first times in recent memory, the Wizards don’t see an immediate drop off when the starters leave the floor, and it’s mostly due to some new faces in D.C.

Bertans leads the reserves in scoring and is an absolute assassin from long-distance. At this point, I’m legitimately surprised when Bertans gets the ball doesn’t shoot/make it. The Latvian Laser is living up to his nickname; he’s currently shooting over 44 percent on more than seven three-point attempts per game.

But he’s not the only one lighting it up off the bench. Jordan McRae may have taken a little longer to get hot this season, but he’s finally found his groove midway through November.

After a solid outing in the season-opener, McRae missed the Wizards’ next five games but struggled once he came back to the floor. Usually, a walking bucket, McRae came back and had five games of less than 10 points. He only had more than four shots in one of those games.

In the last four games, McRae’s returned to his scoring ways, averaging over 14 points per game over his last four.

And then, of course, there’s Moritz Wagner.