Washington had an incredible start of the last season as they won 10 of their first 13 games, while showing some solid defense (#4) and using a slow paced offense that wasn’t seen in previous seasons. However, everything fell apart in the following weeks and already with the perspective of having a losing season, the Wizards traded for Kristaps Porzingis in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie.
Porzigins has been injury prone most of his career but he has been playing really well in DC as his numbers have been better the ones he had in Dallas pre-trade: 47.5% FG | 36.7% 3pts | 87.1% FT. This improvement is even more impressive if we realize that he didn’t play a single game alongside Bradley Beal, who had already been shut down for the season due to injury when Kristaps arrived in DC. Beal only played 40 games last season but even when he played, his level was below the norm. He had down numbers in almost every single efficiency category and yet, he still received a huge new five-year contract in the offseason…
2022/23 Outlook:
We will finally have the opportunity to see Beal and Porzingis playing together. Beal hasn’t had a lot of talented frontcourt teammates during his career, so it will be interesting to check how they will match. The Wizards also decided to hire a group of veteran players in the offseason in a clear sign that the front office wants the team to be competitive this season.
They signed Monte Morris from Denver to be the team’s PG. Unlike Dinwiddie, Morris is a playmaker who sets up the offense rather than being an actual scorer, which makes him a better fit to partner Beal. The Wizards also signed Will Barton, a versatile all around guard/forward who doesn’t really shine in anything these days. Kyle Kuzma completes the team’s starting lineup. He solidified as the team’s PF by grabbing a career high 8.5 rebounds per game last season and was a solid addition to the team.
The Wizards will have a veteran starting lineup, with a lot of experience, that might help them down the stretch. They have some potential on offense, but being decent on defense should be a tougher challenge. Oddly enough, most of their best defensive players should come off the bench: Delon Wright, Deni Avdija and Daniel Gafford. Head coach Wes Unseld Jr. will then have the challenge to find a rotation that makes the team decent on defense. If he achieves that, then the Wizards have a shot at making the postseason.