4 Reasons the Washington Wizards need to continue their playoff push
By Ethan Smith
Winning is the Best Development
The playoff push seems like a stark break from the previously established goals for this season: development.
Back in October, the playoffs were not on many people’s minds. But now they are. And while it might seem to contradict the initial plan, it doesn’t.
If the Wizards want to figure out which of their prospects can actually help them win, what better barometer for success than…well..wins? I love John Wall as much as the next Wizards fan, but it’d be foolish to think his return (and his return alone) can catapult this team from sure-fire lottery squad to playoff contenders. But if this team is flirting with the playoffs, and finds a way to sneak in, they prove that they are just a John Wall away. Wishful thinking becomes a whole lot less wishful when some semblance of success has already been achieved.
Besides, development isn’t just about getting playing time. It’s about establishing winning tendencies, finding winning lineups, and identifying which of the prospects are building blocks and which are fodder.
Related Story. Wizards continue to focus on development, not playoffs. light
The bottom line is, development and winning don’t have to be mutually exclusive concepts. In fact, empowering young players by putting them in during crucial moments of pivotal games is one of the best ways to get guys up to speed.
Having Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner in at the end of the recent Milwaukee Bucks game helped the Wizards push the NBA’s best team to overtime. Wagner and Hachimura both matched up with the MVP-frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo and forced the Greek Freak to foul out. Wagner’s peskiness on the defensive end was particularly impressive. And Hachimura had a chance to win the game but was blocked at the rim by Robin Lopez as time expired. He’ll learn to either go up stronger or throw in a quick pump fake next time. Either way, he came back undeterred and drilled a go-ahead three early in overtime.
Although the Wizards ultimately lost that game to the Bucks, Wagner and Hachimura were both trusted late in the game and it didn’t hurt their chances of winning at all. Those competitive minutes are much better for development than anything that could come in a blowout.