Andrew Buller-Russ
We’re on the brink of the first game of the Washington Wizards season. Just like any other year, excitement fills the D.C. air as the team prepares to outperform last season’s 35-47 finish.
While we didn’t see any massive changes to the infrastructure, the Wizards have every reason to believe Wes Unseld Jr. can lead a better effort in his second full season as head coach, especially if the team can get more than 40 games out of Bradley Beal after the star scorer missed action with a wrist injury a season ago.
With the Wizards set for a 7 PM ET tipoff against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, let’s look in on three key factors to watch for the regular season opener.
Backcourt duo of Monte Morris and Bradley Beal
Aside from locking Beal in long-term with a five-year, $251 million extension, perhaps the biggest move the Wizards made over the offseason was bringing in Monte Morris to be the team’s new starting point guard. To do so, the Wizards had to part with a couple valuable members of their previous core, sending Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith to Denver for Morris and swingman Will Barton.
This allowed the Wizards to enter the 2022 NBA Draft without an extreme urgency to zero in on one specific position, and they weren’t going to draw any free agents to Washington. So, Morris may have been their best option. But just how well will he work alongside Beal, who’s best with the ball in his hands?
It’s certainly a situation that deserves close attention. Both Beal and Morris can shoot lights out. That’s not the issue, but what about distributing the ball and getting stops on the wing? Will the 6-foot-2 Morris and 6-foot-4 Beal be able to handle a backcourt such as Cleveland offers with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell?
Related: 3 reasons why the Washington Wizards and free agent Demarcus Cousins are a good fit
Can the Wizards generate enough stops?
One of the biggest impediments to Washington finding more success a season ago was an inability to limit their opponents’ scoring attack. The Wizards ranked 25th in defensive rating but were missing several key pieces down the stretch. Namely, both Beal and Kristaps Porzingis missed large chunks of action, with the Unicorn only playing in 17 games in Washington after coming over via trade.
Both players are healthy to start the year but are better known for their scoring prowess. Yet, Beal’s ability to pickpocket his defender, as well as Porzingis’s great length, creates a lot of adjustments to be made at the rim for a driving scorer. Both were certainly missed a season ago.
Yet, as a whole, the Wizards may not have enough stoppers both on the wing and near the rim. It could end up leading to yet another year of watching the postseason from the couch.
The impact of Johnny Davis
Selected 10th overall out of Wisconsin, Johnny Davis would likely see a healthy amount of playing time on most NBA teams. A college star who’s used to being the leading shot-taker, Davis’s playing time is short-circuited by the fact he plays the same position as Beal. Prior to Corey Kispert’s injury, it’s possible Davis was out of the rotation altogether to begin the year. But now, with Kispert set to miss 4-to-6 weeks, Davis should be able to fill a role off coach Unseld’s bench.
Still, Davis isn’t expected to play major minutes right away, and after a rough preseason, seeing how much playing time the 20-year-old rookie receives will be a major talking point in D.C. as the year goes along. In the end, the Wizards should be improved over last season, but it’s players like Davis who could ultimately be the X-factor that decides whether they’re contenders or pretenders.
Related: 3 reasons why the Washington Wizards are set for disappointment again in 2022-23
