Washington Wizards 2020 NBA Draft: Onyeka Okongwu

Defense wins championships

The Wizards may not be a title contender next season, but that’s still their ultimate goal, along with 29 other teams. In the last 20 seasons, no team has won an NBA Championship with a defense ranked outside of the top ten. The Lakers and Raptors won the past two NBA Championships and they were both ranked fourth in defensive rating during their championship season. If Washington has any shot at competing for a title, then they definitely can’t repeat what they did last year. Finishing second to last in the league in defense is absolutely unacceptable! The return of the 2014-2015 All-Defensive second-teamer John Wall will help but he won’t fix all the problems.

The last player to average over 2.5 blocks in a Wizards uniform was JaVale McGee in 2011-2012. That’s a long time ago! Wall & Beal together are a solid defensive backcourt. But they need a shot-blocking presence in the backend to clean-up their occasional lapses. Okongwu is exactly what the doctor ordered. He can alter shots and finally be the intimidating factor near the rim the Wizards have been lacking for years.

Chemistry is very important on the defensive end but there won’t be much time to gel. The NBA seems to be doing everything they can to get the 2020-2021 season started before Christmas. This leaves teams with only one to two weeks of training camp after the draft. A rise to the top half of the league in defense next year seems a bit unrealistic for Washington. But who knows! With focus, commitment, and proper adjustments the Wizards can propel to a top-15 defense. They just have to cross their fingers and pray Onyeka Okongwu falls to them at pick number nine come November 18.