Washington Wizards: 4 Questions that will define the 2020-21 season
By Alex Saenz
Will the young players take/make threes?
Contrary to popular belief, the 2019-20 Wizards were not a prolific three-point shooting team. They were 22nd in overall attempt rate, and if you remove human-torch Davis Bertans, the team combined to shoot a middling 35.5 percent from downtown. Here’s what I wrote in my season recap:
"“Over one-third (36.4%) of Beal’s possessions on the season included at least two non-shooters (Rui Hachimura, Bonga, Payton II, Mahinmi) on the floor with him. And that’s not even counting other so-so marksmen like Smith and Brown.”"
The pressure is on for the young-ins to become respectable spot-up threats around Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook. Here’s what we saw in the preseason games. Thomas Bryant — who should provide an invaluable stretch element from the five-spot — is still firing away, continuing a trend from the eight games in the bubble. Isaac Bonga and Rui Hachimura also seem more comfortable casting away, but they started from such a low place that it’s difficult to expect anything major. Troy Brown is still hit-or-miss as a catch-and-shoot guy. And while Deni Avdija mostly played in a “3 & D” role last year for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague, the list of sub-60 percent free-throw shooters becoming capable from deep consists of Bruce Bowen, Lonzo Ball, and that’s about it. Avdija made five of his 11 three-point attempts in the preseason games.
Beal and Westbrook with ample spacing is the roadmap to a top-ten offense. Aside from Bertans, which role players on this roster are going to make threes? Will the Wizards be forced to find some veteran shooting?