By: Joe Pohoryles
The Wizards look much different than they did a month ago.
Despite blowing a five-point lead with less than a minute left against the Boston Celtics last night, the Wizards have been hot. Since losing to the New York Knicks 109-91 on Feb. 12, the Wizards have gone 7-2. That stretch included wins over the Lakers, Trail Blazers and the Nuggets twice. All three are currently playoff teams in the West.
The Wizards find themselves 12th in the East, but the overall weakness of the conference have the standings extremely jammed. Despite seeming so far out of the playoff picture, Washington is just 2.5 games behind the eighth spot, and just 3.5 out of fourth.
With Bradley Beal continuing to score at an elite rate, Russell Westbrook now contributing triple-doubles in winning efforts and a consistent rotation finally solidifying, this team is starting to shift in the right direction.
After overcoming the COVID-19 breakout that ravaged practically the entire roster, the Wizards are establishing some semblance of a real team. The biggest development is a consistent starting lineup that I don’t think anyone envisioned prior to this season.
Westbrook at the one and Beal at the two was obvious. Even Rui Hachimura at the four could be expected as well, but with center Thomas Bryant tearing his ACL early in the season and no obvious candidate to lock down the three, Scott Brooks was left to cycle through combinations.
For now, he’s found the right fit. Of all people, Garrison Mathews and Moe Wagner have been the final pieces of the starting lineup during this winning stretch. That hasn’t translated to starter-level minutes for either player; neither plays more than 20 minutes in a typical game, but it’s what’s working.
While Deni Avdija has fallen out of the starting rotation, the rookie gets a solid amount of minutes every night and still clearly has room to grow. Davis Bertans, meanwhile, has been a bit of a let down in the first year of his new contract. After shooting 42.4 percent from three last season, Bertans is 83rd among qualified players this season, shooting 38.4 percent from beyond the arc. He’s not terrible, but he’s been streaky.
When his shots are falling, his scoring can take over a game, but when he gets cold he becomes more of a liability than a player worth paying $16 million a year. If he can get his numbers up and can start playing at his contract value, this team will only get better, but that’s far from a given.
With the East seemingly loaded with mediocre and underwhelming teams, the Wizards have a real shot to break in somewhere. Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Milwaukee have separated themselves from the rest, but 4-8 could really go to anyone at this point. If the Wizards can hang on to the momentum they’ve built over the past couple weeks, it won’t be long before they’re in the playoff picture.
That said, there’s an equal chance of things going south. We’ve seen how bad things can get regardless of how well Beal plays, and it could easily happen again. The center rotation of Wagner, Robin Lopez and Alex Len isn’t terrible, but won’t elevate the team in any way.
With Beal and Westbrook taking on a ton of minutes and Ish Smith injured, Raul Neto has really been the only other guard getting minutes lately. Like the centers, Neto is a fine reserve player but won’t be the X-Factor.
The biggest disappointment has been Troy Brown Jr. falling out of the rotation. The third-year wing is down to playing 14.3 minutes per game after averaging 25.8 minutes last season, and his playing time has gone down even more during this two week stretch.
Brown over the past two weeks:
- Played just five minutes against Boston on Feb. 14
- DNP four games in a row after that
- Played four minutes in a 19-point loss to the Clippers
- Reached 16 minutes against the Nuggets on Feb. 25 (4 pts, 4 reb)
- Played four minutes in a 16-point win over the Timberwolves
- DNP last night against the Celtics
The 2018 first-round pick has been slipping out of favor and has regressed from what we saw in the Bubble this past summer. Another losing streak could force a shake up and give him another chance, but the fact that the Wizards have been largely successful without him on the floor is a tough sign.
The Wizards still have a steep hill to climb after the All-Star break, and they certainly don’t have everything figured out yet, but these past two weeks have been a major development compared to the early parts of the season.
Cover Photo Credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images
The Wildcard 