NBA Playoffs: What ‘The Others’ can do for the Washington Wizards in game two
By Matt Gillick
Game one was hard-fought but still a loss. Now, it’s a new day, and game two brings new opportunities. Facing a team like the Philadelphia 76ers was going to be a challenge for the Washington Wizards from the start. The 76ers have Ben Simmons (a Defensive Player of the Year Finalist) AND Joel Embiid (an MVP Finalist) healthy. That’s all you need to say.
And, speaking frankly, it’s not like Washington has a star-studded lineup. They’re a rag-tag collection of young, scrappy players, some undrafted, others journeymen, and one, in particular, has a running feud with every opposing team’s mascot.
The Washington Wizards will enter game two vs. the 76ers down 0-1 and in need of some help from everyone, not just their backcourt.
The Wizards’ dynamic backcourt is the reason why the Wizards have made it this far. But they won’t get any further if the load rests squarely on Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook’s shoulders.
Over the past few months, the D.C. faithful has grown to love ‘the others’ on this roster. And now, it’s time for ‘the others’ to step up. Here are three players (not named Beal or Westbrook) that can produce a better result in game two.
Davis Bertans needs to have a huge game for the Washington Wizards.
It’s safe to say that Davis Bertans has not lived up to his $80 million signing. Yes, he can shoot, but he hasn’t scored at the volume to justify his new contract, particularly for someone who’s supposed to be a spark plug off the bench.
Simply put, Bertans is going to have to score often and those buckets need to be timely. He needs at least five made threes and to be the leading scorer of that second unit. When Bertans gets the ball behind the arc after rolling off a high screen, that needs to be a guaranteed bucket.
Davis Bertans needs to be the best outside scorer for the Washington Wizards in game two, or else this series could be over before we know it.