How the Washington Wizards look heading into the final stretch

We are officially closing in on the end of the regular season. It feels like it was yesterday that the season begun. The Washington Wizards started the year with some positives going in. Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal were finally going to play together, new additions were made to bolster the bench, and Kyle Kuzma could make another leap.

The Wizards were not necessarily looking like a true contender but definitely felt like a postseason team. However, things were not all well in the beginning stages of the season. Through the first three months of the season, the Wizards were 16-21, and were positioned as the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference standings.

Bradley Beal was supposed to prove why he deserved that supermax extension, instead he looked like a shell of the former All-Star. Nagging injuries and a lack of secondary shot creator has held him back all season long.

Then there was the debacle with Rui Hachimura and his contract extension, or lack thereof. This ultimately led to a then controversial trade with the Los Angeles Lakers involving Kendrick Nunn.

Their stroke of bad luck continued onto the bench as well. Delon Wright along with a few other notable rotations players have missed some time due to various injuries.

Things started to turn around in January, as the Wizards were able to accumulate an 8-5 record in January before finishing 12-9 in the new year prior to the All-Star break. The Washington Wizards are now the ninth seed in the East with a legitimate shot to make the play-in tournament and the playoffs. What does the future hold for the stretch run?

Deni Avdija seems to be the key to unlocking the Washington Wizards.

One of the biggest winners right after the Rui trade was the former top ten pick, Deni Avdija. The minutes opened up and he began to seize his opportunity. His defense had improved greatly since entering the league, but the Wizards needed to see what they truly had in him.

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However, the big three of this team looks fully healthy, which has pushed Avdija back into a background role once again. They should avoid this approach. Give him more opportunities to grow as a player for this season and the future.

He has the tools and drive to get better. This is only his third year in the NBA. There is room to grow, but the Wizards have to understand that notion and let him have the opportunity to cook.

The Big Three seem ready to step up and prove themselves in the postseason.

The Washington Wizards have claimed that they have a big three. That big three consists of Kyle Kuzma, Kristaps Porzingis, and Bradley Beal. Despite not being extremely accomplished in this league, that is a talented trio. All three are averaging over 20 points per game, while shooting efficiently. Not a common occurrence in this league.

Porzingis has been the best player thus far, while surprisingly staying healthy for the most part (knock on wood). He is easily having his best season since his all-star campaign with the New York Knicks in 2018. If the Wizards were more consistent in the first half of the season, perhaps the Latvian big man would have secured an all-star nod.

Kyle Kuzma is an interesting case. For a few weeks, it looked as if the writing was on the wall for Kuzma and his time in DC. However, the Wizards were persistent on keeping the upcoming free agent despite the reports of him wanting out for a bigger market franchise. The Wizards believe in Kuzma and want him to return after this season, and for good reason.

He has been great since arriving and has grown drastically. He is becoming a staple with the team and is a key component for a big three that is outscoring opponents by 6.2 points.

Then there is the man with the keys to the franchise himself, Bradley Beal. Things started off rocky with a few injuries and odd comments on podcasts about him actually wanting to come back to the organization. The contract and health had Wizards fans ready to blow it all up that quickly.

Things are beginning to turn around for Beal. He’s healthy again and has been exceptional. His efficiency levels have gone up tremendously, as he is shooting a career high from the field at 52%. He has been leading this team and even led a huge comeback right before the all-star break to gain momentum for the second half of the season.

This big three might not be the flashiest, or most star studded, but they are playing very good basketball together. Health is obviously the biggest key to all of this, but I believe that a healthy Washington Wizards team can make the playoffs.