Washington Wizards: 3 players that have failed to meet expectations
By Ethan Smith
Isaac Bonga
The Isaac Bonga experiment looks like it has run its course in Washington. One of the bigger anomalies on the Wizards roster over the past couple of seasons, Bonga — on paper — is a difference-maker on defense. It’s pretty obvious when you look at the team’s defensive rating with him on the court and with him off it.
- Wizards Defensive Rating with Bonga: 102.0
- Wizards Defensive Rating without Bonga: 113.8
That’s an 11.8 point swing per 100 possessions on the defensive end, the biggest difference associated with any single Wizards player this season, per NBA.com.
Bonga also impacts the offensive rating pretty dramatically. Unfortunately, not in a good way.
- Wizards Offensive Rating with Bonga: 99.6
- Wizards Offensive Rating without Bonga: 111.7
Despite the stops he gets on defense, Bonga’s net rating is actually negative. He’s that big of a liability on offense. This season, Bonga is shooting 37.0 percent from the field and 27.7 percent from three. Both of those are well below league average.
Despite being a starter at the beginning of the season, Bonga has faded from the rotation. Since the All-Star break, Bonga has recorded 14 DNP’s and has averaged less than ten minutes per game. Bonga will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.