2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Washington Wizards
Welcome to theScore's preview of the 2014-15 Washington Wizards. Visit our preseason hub for previews of all 30 NBA teams.
Washington Wizards
2013-14
| Record | Division | East | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44-38 | 2nd | 5th | Lost R2 |
After five seasons on the outside looking in, the Washington Wizards finally made the playoffs last year on the backs of their young talent.
Years of futility allowed the Wizards to acquire top-tier players through the draft in the form of John Wall and Bradley Beal. The two were able to power the Wizards into the postseason with the help of veteran contributors Nene, Marcin Gortat and Trevor Ariza. Beal upped his points per game average to 17.1 and John Wall earned his first All-Star berth.
Washington's Cinderella season continued with its upset of the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs, and was followed by a hard-fought loss to the Indiana Pacers in a six-game series.
Offseason Roundup
The Wizards headed into the offseason with two members of their starting five - Gortat and Ariza - slotted as unrestricted free agents. With both players playing major roles in their success last season, the team was hoping for a reunion.
Gortat didn't make the Wizards wait long. He agreed to a five-year, $60-million deal on the first day of free agency. Ariza, however, ended up signing in Houston, depriving the Wizards of their best corner three-point shooter and perimeter defender.
Washington moved quickly to replace Ariza by bringing in Paul Pierce in free agency on a two-year, $10.8-million contract. Pierce played the majority of last season at power forward, but will be counted on as a key cog on the wing.
With Gortat and Pierce in tow, the Wizards opted to fortify their relatively weak bench. They added useful pieces in big men Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair.
Arrivals
C DeJuan Blair (sign-and-trade, 3/$6M)
*PF Drew Gooden (1/$1.4M)
*C Marcin Gortat (5/$60M)
PF Kris Humphries (sign-and-trade, 3/$13M)
SF Damion James (undisclosed)
SF Paul Pierce (2/$10/8M)
*PF Kevin Seraphin (1/$3.9M qualifying offer)
PG Garrett Temple (2/$2.1M)
*Re-signed
Departures
SF Trevor Ariza (free agency)
PF Trevor Booker (free agency)
PF Al Harrington (free agency)
SF Chris Singleton (free agency)
2014 Draft
The Wizards held no draft picks and didn't manage to acquire any. With a veteran-laden roster already in place, they will look to develop their existing young talent - namely, 2013 No. 3 pick Otto Porter.
Porter was held to just 37 games last year due to an assortment of injuries. In the 319 minutes he played, the 21-year-old averaged just 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Simply put, he had a disastrous rookie year.
But there's reason to hope for a rebound from Porter. To start, a hip flexor strain robbed him of training camp last season, which would be hard to overcome for any rookie. This year the 21-year-old was healthy enough to participate, which should be evident in his play early on. He also has good size at 6-foot-8, can play both forward positions, and shot a promising 42 percent from deep in his final year in college.
Starting 5
- PG John Wall
- SG Bradley Beal
- SF Paul Pierce
- PF Nene
- C Marcin Gortat
Breakout Player: Bradley Beal
It's hard to imagine Beal is just 21 years old. He plays with a calmness befitting a player many years his senior, and has rightfully drawn comparisons to sharpshooter Ray Allen.
Beal's talent starts with his gorgeous shooting stroke. Through two seasons, he is shooting 39.6 percent from deep on 4.5 attempts per game. His mid-range game has yet to develop to the level his 3-point shot is at, but make no mistake, Beal is one of the best shooters in the league.
Beal isn't any slouch on defense, either. Although he's not yet a shutdown defender, it's a promising sign he's able to make smart decisions within defensive schemes at such a young age. Standing at 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, Beal has the size and length to develop into a good defender on the wing.
The next step in Beal's development is to maximize his skills. Perhaps as a result of Wizards head coach Randy Wittman's offense, 48 percent of Beal's field-goal attempts were launched between 10 feet from the basket and the 3-point line. Given his prolific 3-point shooting abilities, Beal stands to benefit from turning those dreaded mid-range shots into long-range attempts.
Season Expectations
The Wizards will be looking to build upon their most successful season in years. That's evident by their moves this offseason, in which they opted to bring in veterans to reinforce their backcourt pairing of Wall and Beal.
But although veterans bring a certain measure of stability, there are still questions to be answered, starting with the switch at small forward. Pierce will be 37 when the season opens and lacks the foot speed to adequately defend on the perimeter on a consistent basis. He's also not a very prolific 3-point shooter from the corners, a spot Wall loved to hit Ariza for easy baskets.
However, most concerns with the Wizards will be largely moot if Beal and Wall continue to develop. Wall is a 3-point shot away from becoming the league's most unstoppable point guard, and Beal makes for an ideal running mate.
Ultimately, the Wizards should contend for a top-four seed next season along with Cleveland, Chicago and Toronto. Depending on their seeding, a return to the second round of the playoffs seems likely.
1 to Follow on Social Media: Marcin Gortat
An actual conversation that took place between Marcin Gortat and Leigh Ellis of The Basketball Jones:
LE: Who would be the leading love interest (in a hypothetical movie starring yourself)?
MG: Jennifer Aniston. She's probably one of the best actresses so far.
LE: What would it be called?
MG: Tough one.
LE: I'm thinking "The Polish Hammer."
MG: Polish Machine.
LE: That's more of an (adult movie) type of name, no?
MG: (hesitates) I mean, I could do that, too.