The Eastern Conference is as talented as ever this season, and personally, I think you could make a case for every team except the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, and Brooklyn Nets to make the playoffs. The Washington Wizards fall into a tier where their variance is extremely high.
On one hand, I could see them potentially cracking the top six if the young core gels and a little luck is on their side, but there is equally a world where they could miss the play-in entirely, and it mostly hinges all on one aspect: health.
The Wizards' win total over/under line is set at 34.5. If I were a betting man, I'd bet over on that all day, but it's going to come down to their two best players staying on the court.
Simply put -- the stars need to be available
It seems like the NBA community is writing off Anthony Davis, but honestly, can you blame them? We've barely seen him in the past few years. Last season, he only played 20 games; before that, it was 51, but only nine with Dallas. He's still one of the elite two-way bigs in the game, and he'll have every opportunity to change the narrative around him if he can stay healthy and lead the Wizards to wins.
People seem to be forgetting about Trae Young, too. He had a forgettable season last season, playing only 15 games, and only five with the Wizards. However, despite public perception, Young has been fairly durable during his career, playing in 60 or more games in six of his previous eight seasons. He'll be incredibly important to the Wizards' offense this season, so needless to say, that trend needs to continue.
If they're healthy, that's obviously going to exponentially boost the Wizards' playoff chances. Davis is one of the best defensive players in basketball, with the ability to give you 23 a night, and Young is an offensive system by himself. Surrounding them with rising stars in AJ Dybantsa and Alex Sarr, as well as elite complementary players like Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, and Bilal Coulibaly, will lead to an exciting season in The District.
Both stars are looking to shake a narrative around their name, and Davis in particular knows that this season might be his last one to prove that he deserves one more max contract. If both play to the expectation they can, then 34.5 wins for the Wizards should be achieved fairly easily.
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