Which position on the Washington Wizards is the weakest right now?

The Washington Wizards have a few hours left until the deadline and a high lottery pick, unless they trade it away. Which position needs an upgrade?

In looking at this Washington Wizards roster, there’s talent to be sure, but there are also a few holes we can fill with a savvy move, draft pick, or free agency signing. I’ll take a look at each position and try to come to a conclusion where we need the biggest upgrade, without sacrificing the development of our young talent.

With the much-anticipated return of John Wall on the not-too-distant horizon, it’s time to start looking towards the future if we are serious about being a contender. Tommy Sheppard probably won’t make any waves at the deadline at this point, but he should be keeping an eye out for talent and opportunity coming from team’s desperate to win now.

Point Guard

John Wall (INJ), Isaiah Thomas, Ish Smith

We have to take contracts into consideration here, for sure, because John Wall’s contract is quite a doozie. He’s due over $41 million next season, and will lay claim to a bit over 24 percent of our cap space.

Isaiah Thomas is on an expiring deal, and likely won’t be back in D.C. While he’s been shooting the lights out this season from beyond the arc at a clip of 41.3 percent, he’ll likely generate interest in free agency from another team.

Ish Smith is signed through the end of next season and has proven he can be efficient in a bench role on the Detroit Pistons as well as the Washington Wizards, so I’d like to see him extended this offseason. He’s 31 years old, but still has some bball relevancy left so an extension works for both sides.

This is the perfect opportunity for a young project or draft pick to develop over the next few seasons, even if the goal is to win next season.

Priority: Low

Shooting Guard

Bradley Beal, Jordan McRae, Garrison Matthews (INJ)

Bradley Beal is here to stay after signing an extension in October. And he’s in his prime too, putting up career numbers. Despite the all-star snub, he’s one of the best shooting guards in the league.

Jordan McRae has played well when Beal hasn’t been on the floor, but he probably isn’t your long-term answer here. His contract is very cap-friendly, and if he’s willing to come back on a similar deal he’s a perfect solution for a backup scoring punch. He’s putting up 12.8 points per game and shooting 37.7 percent from behind the arc.

But really I want you all to look at Garrison Matthew’s per 36 numbers: 17.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, and 46/43/91 shooting splits. That’s pretty impressive. Garrison is a bit of a forgotten man having been sidelined since the beginning of January with an ankle sprain, but the 23-year-old looks to be a serviceable bench player.

My bold prediction is that if the Wizards “embrace the tank” as the season winds down, Garrison will raise his profile among the Wizards faithful as he gets all the minutes he can handle.

Priority: Low

Small Forward

Troy Brown Jr., Isaac Bonga, Admiral Schofield

Here is where I am probably going to differ from a lot of Washington Wizards fans. While I don’t dislike this crew of swing men, I think if we are talking about competing for a championship, none of them can log a majority of the minutes.

Troy Brown has been easily the most impressive of the bunch. I mean, it’s hard not to like a guy that can do this:

But my concern stems from the fact that when Beal is on the floor, it looks like TBJ has struggled to find his spots to be aggressive and take the offensive load on his shoulders. His steal rate is nice, but he’s probably best served in a bench role where he can be a focal point of the offense.

Isaac Bonga has seen steady improvement over last season, especially on the offensive end, but he still needs to take a big step to be a contributor on a championship level team in my opinion.

The same can be said of Admiral Schofield, except he’s probably even earlier on in his development into relevant NBA talent. However, it’s important to note that the average age of all three of these guys is just a shade over 20 years old. Any one of them could take the big leap over the end of the season and into the offseason.

Priority: High

Power Forward

Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans

I think we’re really set here with the power forward position, and I really like the versatile type of talent at this position. Rui Hachimura is a mature 21 and on a lengthy rookie contract. I see him as a “high floor, low ceiling” type,

Davis Bertans is a savvy three-point specialist, one of the best in the league in fact. He’s on an expiring contract, but the Wizards front office is bent on extending him, which is good news if the team wants to win now.

If re-signing Bertans is the only move the Wiz do from now until next season, that makes total sense.

Priority: Extremely low

Center

Thomas Bryant, Moritz Wagner, Ian Mahinmi, Anzejs Pasecniks

Thomas Bryant is great for his cap hit. I’ve been a little disappointed this season as he’s had an opportunity to prove he can be our starting center long-term, but he just hasn’t been able to stay on the floor. Still, he seems like a bargain for his contract, and hopefully he can continue to develop range.

Moritz Wagner is another forgotten man as he’s been injured. Thankfully he’s playing again and I can’t wait for fans to remember how good this 22-year-old is, His per 36 numbers see him averaging an insane 20.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He’s probably the player I’m most excited to see develop on the roster.

Ian Mahinmi likely won’t be with the team next season as his bad contract finally falls off the books. The 33-year-old may latch onto another team with a short-term deal, but he’s not in the Wizards’ future plans.

Anzejs Pasecniks may or may not be back. I could see us re-signing him if we can’t find something better.

Priority: Medium