If you want to say 12 games isn’t a large enough sample size to officially label the Wizards a good team that’s al well and good. But it’s undeniable that they’re displaying all the major symptoms of a good team. They defend. They win games in a myriad of ways. They have a coach they respond to. And yeah, at times they just run roughshod over teams.
All of these aspects have been on display over their four game win streak and the depth and versatility of this team carried them to a 104-92 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
They were without franchise player, Bradley Beal, who was out due to a personal matter but despite a slow start they pretty much controlled the game throughout en route to their 9th win of the season. The Wizards controlled the boards, moved the ball effectively, scored efficiently and harassed the Magic into a dismal 33.7% shooting from the field.
In the past when Beal was out, there would be major concerns about how the Wizards would provide dependable offense. But with the reinforcements sent their way via the Westbrook trade, even when Beal has been in the lineup scoring has been more of a collaborative effort which has allowed his individual brilliance to be used as a luxury as opposed to a necessity. We saw this in the Saturday’s victory. The Wizards had five players score in double figures, 29 of their 42 field goals were assisted, shot a respectable 34.3% from three and fended off every push the Magic made to earn the 12 point win. Montrezl Harrell came in with his typical energy and put pressure on Orlando’s bigs. Dinwiddie was measured and efficient as always, leading the team with 23 points on 10-18 from the field. And Kyle Kuzma’s confidence continues to grow as he started off slow from a shooting standpoint but pretty much put the game out of reach in the 3rd quarter when he caught fire from deep and scored 11 straight points for the Wiz.
Although they’re far from perfect, this Wizards team is already exponentially better on the defensive side of the ball than any iteration we’ve seen in a few years. Adding a group of veterans who excel in that regard and a coach whose philosophy is grounded in performing on that end have undoubtedly contributed to their strides. While they’re still inconsistent at times, they are able to lock in when necessary and get stops which allows the offensive lulls to not hurt them as much. One of the staples of their defense has been defending the 3 pt line. Early in the Magic game, their rotations weren’t crisp which allowed Wendell Carter Jr. to walk into two wide open shots. The Magic led 18-14 which prompted a Wes Unseld Jr. timeout. Afterwards, the Wiz responded and closed the 1st quarter with a 14-0 run. And while much of their turnaround on the defensive end can be attributed to the upgrade in personnel, their new coach is absolutely deserving of praise. He’s been preaching defense basically since the moment he was announced as head coach and the expectation was set immediately. From day 1 of training camp, it became abundantly clear that competing on that end would be a prerequisite for seeing the floor this year and the team responded. They started the season with a dominant performance against the Raptors and while there have been some expected inconsistencies in regards to execution through the first 12 games, the effort and determination has not wavered. And while we’re still in the infancy stages of the season, 12 games in this team is already carving out an identity on the defense.
The Wizards have a lot of things working at once which is why they find themselves in a place no one expected to see them at any point……..sitting atop the standings.
They look like a group that trusts each other and plays for one another. A veteran laden squad where everyone understands their role and allows room for development for the young guys. When is the last time a Wizards lottery pick was afforded the luxury to develop at a reasonable pace without being heavily depended on for the team’s success? The Wizards are in a good place right now and there is cause for cautious optimism as they are still improving.
They will be putting their winning streak on the line Monday against the Pelicans at home. They’ve been holding serve at Capital One aside from a misstep against Toronto and with the way they’ve been performing as of late, that trend should continue.