Washington Wizards: 3 Role Players that will be key for play-in tournament hopes

The Washington Wizards are streaking at the right time with five straight wins. Here are 3 role players that will be key for their chances at the play-in.

The Washington Wizards are finally starting to stack some wins. They’ve won five straight games and are 7-3 in their last ten games. In the Eastern Conference standings, Washington currently sits in 11th place at 24-33. The Wizards have the same record as the 10th place Chicago Bulls, who own the tiebreaker over them after winning the season series 2-1.

We all hope Zach LaVine returns soon after it was announced he will miss several games as he enters into the NBA’s health and safety protocol. This is horrible timing for the Bulls, however, and LaVine’s absence will surely increase the Wizard’s odds of making it into the play-in tournament. Plus, the Wizards’ remaining strength of schedule is favorable. According to tankathon, the Wizards have the 24th hardest remaining schedule, while the Bulls and Raptors — the two teams the Wizards are fighting for the final spot — have the seventh and third hardest remaining schedules, respectively. With Russell Westbrook continuing his tear of triple-doubles and Bradley Beal dropping 30-point games every night, Washington just needs the “others” to step up.

There are only 15 games remaining in the regular season but they will be crucial games as this Wizards team tries to make a playoff run that looked nearly impossible just a few weeks ago.

Here are three role players that will be key in helping the Wizards secure a play-in spot.

Washington Wizards that are key to a play-in birth: Davis Bertans

Congrats to Davis Bertans and his family on the birth of their baby boy!

Bertans has been out the last two games for personal reasons but he was starting to come on as of late. Post-All-Star break, the Latvian Laser is shooting 45.8 percent from beyond the arc on 6.9 attempts per game. That’s a lot better than the first half of the year when he was only shooting 38.4% from three on 7.6 attempts per game. The Wizards need Bertan’s hot shooting to continue as they fight to move up the standings.

Washington is 9-5 when Bertans makes four or more threes so it’s clear that they’re a much better team when he’s knocking it down from deep. Now, he just has to stay healthy. In March, Bertans sat out eight games as he recovered from a right calf strain. Even though he’s inching closer to 100 percent, the Wizards still need to be careful not to overextend him. Unfortunately, due to unfortunate circumstances, Bertans will most likely see an increase in minutes as soon as he returns to the lineup.

Rui Hachimura exited Saturday’s matchup against the  Detroit Pistons with knee soreness and there’s no timetable for his return yet. With Rui out, Bertans seems like the most logical replacement at the forward position. Bertans has to be ready to step in and fill the void left by the Wizards third-leading scorer because he can put up points in bunches when he gets it going. As long as the coaching staff is smart with how they relegate his minutes, then I see no reason why the Latvian Laser can’t hold it down for the meantime. Shooters shoot. And that’s exactly what the Wizards need him to do if they have any hope of clinching a spot in the play-in!

Washington Wizards that are key to a play-in birth: Ish Smith

The 11-year vet will be crucial to the Wizard’s chances of making it into the play-in tournament. Ish Smith has missed 24 games this year due to a right proximal quadriceps injury, but he’s finally healthy and finding his groove. Ish is coming off one of his best games of the year in a win against the Pistons. He scored 16 points to go along with five assists and three rebounds in the 121-100 victory at home. That’s his highest-scoring performance of the year!

Averaging only 6.3 points per game this season and 7.7 points per game for his career, Ish is known more for his versatility than scoring. He’s a jack of all trades at the backup point guard position and he impacts the game in a variety of different ways. However, his speed in transition is what stands out the most. The Wizards are ranked No.1 in pace (104.0) and point guards Russell Westbrook, Ish Smith, and Raul Neto are a big reason for that!

Westbrook and Ish, in particular, both love to get out on the break for easy baskets. This clip below is just one example as Ish finds Russ leaking out for the fast break slam!

As the main ball-handler of the second unit, Ish needs to continue to play fast because that helps raise the play of everyone around him. He’s been in the NBA for over a decade so the younger players should have no problem following his lead as they look to make up ground in the East.

Washington Wizards that are key to a play-in birth: Daniel Gafford

I think it’s officially safe to say the Washington Wizards won their midseason trade with the Chicago Bulls. He’s only suited up 7 games for his new team but Daniel Gafford’s impact has been immediate! Gafford is averaging 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in only 17.1 minutess of play per game. It’s still early, but his athleticism and defensive prowess have been a major bright spot! As a viable lob threat, he’s developed quick chemistry with both Westbrook and Beal, who are already extremely comfortable throwing it anywhere near the rim because they have faith Gafford will come down with it. This quote says it all.

And throw it to the moon they have. Gafford has been a force around the rim, but even though the highlight dunks have been impressive, Gafford’s defense has been the biggest key to Washington’s recent success. He recently had back-to-back games with four blocked shots making him the first Wizard to have at least four blocks in consecutive games since Marcin Gortat (Nov. 2013).

That’s quite the achievement for someone who hasn’t even played 10 games with his new team yet. Gafford is proving early on that he can be a defensive anchor off the bench, which is exactly what the Wizards need. Before his arrival, Washington didn’t have a big man on the roster that struck fear in opposing teams when they entered the paint. But now, with Gafford in the middle, opposing players are starting to think twice before they attack the basket.