Washington Wizards: 4 most impactful players for playoff push

1. Thomas Bryant

There’s been a glaring hole at center this entire season for the Washington Wizards and a big part of that is that Thomas Bryant just can’t seem to stay on the floor. He’s only seen the court for 32 out of the 57 possible games, and only started 23 of those games.

The Washington Wizards are only 11-21 in the games in which TB has played, but in seven of those wins he was a starter. He desperately needs to stay healthy and let the Washington Wizards get a look at four of their projected starters for next season at least.

It’s become absolutely apparent that Moritz Wagner and Ian Mahinmi can not provide the rim protection we need to stop these teams, as the Wizards continue to be the worst in the league giving up 119.9 points per 48 minutes. A ridiculously high number.

Last season we were only second worst, which isn’t much of an improvement, but it will all start with Thomas Bryant and whether or not he can be “the man” like many have projected. Luckily, he was able to log 14:54 in the Wizards’ last game.

Even while he’s only managed to suit up for 56 percent of games this season, he’s still third on the team in win shares according to Basketball Reference. Last season he was second in win shares only trailing Bradley Beal in that respect.

In order for the Washington Wizards to be successful, they need their man in the middle more than anything.