Vincent Frank
Third-year forward Deni Avdija earned the Washington Wizards starting small forward job heading into the 2022-23 campaign after two so-so seasons to open his career.
It was somewhat of a surprise given Washington acquired Will Barton during the summer and have holdover Rui Hachimura on the roster heading into Tuesday’s opener against the Indiana Pacers.
This lasted all of eight minutes. Avdija pulled up lame in the first quarter due to injury. A short while later, the Wizards indicated that their 2020 top-10 pick avoided a serious injury. However, he will be sidelined for a bit with an ankle sprain.
That was the backdrop as Washington opened the campaign in grand fashion with a 114-107 road win over the Indiana Pacers. The team’s depth showed big time with nine players suiting up for at least 15 minutes of action.
Whiile it did get a bit dicy with the Wizards struggling to shoot in the final stanza and Indiana attempting a frantic late-game comeback, they came away with their second consecutive season-opening win. But this one feels a bit different. Here’s why.
Related: Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal and NBA’s top-50 players of 2022
Bradley Beal has that help he’s needed with the Washington Wizards
As we look back to this past summer, Beal’s decision to re-sign with the Wizards was more about his loyalty to the fan base and his cummunity. But the star guard did have confidence that Washington would be able to turn things around.
“I want to win a championship and I want to do it here. I believe that we can win in D.C.,” Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal after signing max contract.
At about the same time, Wizards front office head Tommy Sheppard was working around the clock to find the right mix behind Beal. It did not work back in 2020-21 with Russell Westbrook. Spencer Dinwiddie lasted less than a full season as Beal’s running partner before being sent to the Dallas Mavericks in the Kristaps Porzingis trade this past February.
Acquired from the Denver Nuggets this past summer, Monte Morris doesn’t have the same name recognition. But he seems to work well with Beal in the Wizards’ backcourt. That came out in droves with Washington finishing plus-17 when Morris was on the court Tuesday against the Pacers.
Related: Washington Wizards standing in Sportsnaut’s NBA power rankings
By moving off Westbrook and Dinwiddie in trades less than a calendar year apart, depth became part of the lexicon in D.C. We saw that Tuesday evening. Will Barton scored 17 points off the bench on 3-of-4 shooting from distance. Daniel Gafford added 12 points and seven boards on 6-of-8 from the field.
As for the rest of the Wizards’ starting lineup, Kyle Kuzma picked up where he left off in his second season with Washington. The forward finished plus-seven in 35 minutes, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, Porzingis neared put up a double-double despite a bad shooting night. Did we mention Beal dropped 23 on an efficient 9-of-17 shooting?
This Washington Wizards squad seems to be better constructed than previous iterations. What we saw in their X-point win over the Pacers to open the 2022-23 regular season magnifies that.
