Washington Wizards: 3 biggest weaknesses to address this offseason
By Ethan Smith
Weakness #2: Rebounding
The Washington Wizards routinely lost the battle on the boards this season. By season’s end, the Wizards ranked 28th in total rebounds per game and 28th in defensive rebounds per game. They fared a bit better on the offensive glass, ranking near the middle of the pack (17th) with 10.2 offensive boards per game. Their offensive rebounding percentage lands them a similar ranking (22.2%; 18th), and luckily the Wizards made those offensive rebounds count. They averaged 13.1 second-chance points this season, 13th most in the NBA.
However, their activity on the offensive glass didn’t cancel out their defensive rebounding deficiencies. The Wizards surrendered the sixth-most total rebounds per game (46.2), and it didn’t matter whether their opponent was grabbing offensive or defensive boards. To make matters worse, opponents made the Wizards pay when they got second looks on offense. Only two teams (Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers) allowed opponents to score more second-chance points than the Wizards did this season.
To a degree, rebounding is a collective effort. But individually, the Wizards don’t have a guy they can count on to get rebounds, Thomas Bryant was the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 7.2 rebounds each game. This season, at least 21 teams had one or more players averaging more than that.
Free Agent Find: Derrick Favors, Tristan Thompson
Draft Night Solution: Onyeka Okongwu, Isaiah Stewart
Trade Target: Nikola Vucevic