#2 – Washington Wizards – 44-38, 2nd in the Southeast; 5th in the East
Projected starters: John Wall (PG), Bradley Beal (SG), Paul Pierce (SF), Marcin Gortat (PF), Nene (C)
The preseason darlings of the division. Washington had an interesting offseason, losing Trevor Ariza and replacing him with Pierce, re-signing Gortat, followed by signing DeJuan Blair and Kris Humphries to shore up their front court depth. Then You Know Who left Miami, thus leaving the Wizards as the favorite to win the Southeast. Or are they?
How it can go right: Wall took a major step forward in 2013-14, with career highs in points (19.3) and assists (8.8) in leading the Wizards to the second round of last season’s playoffs. Probably one of the fastest guys in the NBA, Wall running the fast break is a thing of beauty. Wall helped lead Washington to 8th in fast break points and 6th in percentage of points off the fast break. When this team get outs in the open, watch out. And it starts with Wall. He is clearly the best point guard in the division, and you can make an argument that he’s the best in the East.
In a minimum of 500 minutes together, Nene and Gortat had the best defensive rating for a tandem on the court for Washington, which helped cause headaches for opposing teams. Even in the half court, those two together can grind it out similar to the Chicagos and Indianas of the league.
Confession: Beal is my favorite non-Heat player in the league. He is a rising star that can just flat out play. In his second season, his scoring average jumped from 13.9 to 17.1 ppg; assists from 2.4 to 3.2 apg; and his three-point percentage went from 38.6% to 40.2%. With Ariza out of the picture, Beal has more of an opportunity to take the next step in his development. There’s just one small problem…
How it can go wrong: He’s out the first month of the season because of wrist surgery. This is why we can’t have nice things. He also missed time last November, so now the “injury-prone” label is creeping in. Until he gets back, Garrett Temple and Glen Rice Jr. (hello, Heat fans!) will get their opportunity to hold the fort. Former first round pick Otto Porter may also get time at SG.
As great as the Wizards’ fast break offense was, their half-court offense is the stuff that makes babies cry. It isn’t very creative and their series’ against the Bulls and Pacers seemed like they were playing in the mud. Granted, Chicago and Indiana can make anyone look bad in the half-court, but Washington couldn’t get anything going. The Wizards were fifth worst offensive rating in the last five minutes of games in the league. Also, as good as Nene and Gortat were last season, they were middle of the pack in points in the paint. This needs to improve.
First month (or so) of games: @Miami, @Orlando, Milwaukee, @New York, Indiana, @Toronto, @Indiana, Detroit, Orlando, Dallas, Cleveland, @Milwaukee, Atlanta, @Cleveland, New Orleans
If they’re without Beal for a month, Washington catches a break with the schedule, as they only play six games against playoff teams from last season – two of which are against the Pacers, which you can swap out for the two against the Cavs – so all the Wizards have to do his hold the fort until Beal gets back.
Win/loss prediction: 47-35, 2nd in the Southeast; 5th in the East. The Beal injury to kick the season off is a downer, but it looks like Washington can survive that storm. The Wizards can be good, but they have to figure out how to get baskets when the game is in the final few minutes. Wall and Beal taking the next step should help in that. The Ariza/Pierce swap is curious, as Pierce brings a veteran playoff presence to a young team, but loses Ariza’s shooting from the corners. However, only Pierce and his douche powers can somehow get four teammates suspended for Opening Night because of an altercation that he started. This team can be a big threat in the Southeast and the East if they can learn from this past postseason.