The Washington Wizards put themselves into a great position on Sunday with their 115-110 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The victory catapulted the Wizards from tenth in the standings to eighth in the final game of the regular season, a big jump right before the postseason begins. As the eighth seed, the Wizards will face the Boston Celtics in their first (and hopefully only) play-in game.
Unfortunately, it’s not all good news in Washington. Already, the Wizards are facing problems as they head into the play-in tournament. During Monday morning’s practice, less than 36 hours before tip-off in Boston, Bradley Beal admitted to reporters that his hamstring injury is still not completely healed.
Bradley Beal talking like he’ll give it a go tomorrow in Boston: "There’s no setback. I didn’t injure it any worse than it already, so that’s positive. Obviously it won’t be 100 percent. I’ve just got to manage it the best I can."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) May 17, 2021
Despite the injury — which sidelined Beal for three straight games before the matchup vs. Charlotte — Beal was the leading scorer during the Wizards’ regular-season finale vs. the Hornets, scoring 25 points along with six rebounds and four assists. The final stat line was fairly Beal-esque, but it was obvious that he wasn’t himself and was hobbled by the hamstring. Beal shot under 30 percent from the field (29.6 percent) and three (27.2 percent). Make no mistake, though; his gutsy performance helped secure the crucial victory. Unfortunately, it sounds like he won’t be 100 percent healthy for the play-in tournament.
The Washington Wizards will need more than just Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook if they want to make a serious run through the postseason.
With this in mind, the Washington Wizards will be forced to look to their role players to step up for their star if his hamstring continues to ail him. Here are three players whose postseason performances will be imperative to the success of the Washington Wizards.