After their thunderous start to the season, with 10 wins in their first 13 games, the Wizards looked great behind their All-Star, Bradley Beal. Since then, things have changed a lot with defeats in spades, a rather deleterious atmosphere in the locker room and Beal’s unfortunate wrist injury, an injury that will immobilize him for the rest of the current campaign…
At the All-Star break, the Wizards are nevertheless in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, with 27 wins for 31 losses, just behind the Hawks, the last drafted for the “play in”. All hope is therefore not lost for the Washington franchise, which for once offered a promising victory last night on the floor of the Nets (117-103).
Hachimura rises to power
Author of 13 of his 20 points in the last quarter, Rui Hachimura begins to find rhythm after his long absence from the start of the season, and the difficult sequence with the Olympic Games in his country this summer. The Japanese interior is approaching twenty games played this season and if last night’s game provides any indications for the future, it should continue to gain momentum for the final sprint.
“We had good energy” Hachimura confirms. “Everyone shared the ball well. We had a good flow and I was personally in a good rhythm too. And then we defended. We still have a chance to make the playoffs. We have to keep pushing. “
Already passed through the federal capital and back after his trade from Charlotte, Ish Smith (15 points) was the reassuring presence the Wizards needed at the end of the game in Brooklyn last night. The veteran point guard didn’t flinch when it came time for the big shots that shattered the Nets’ semblance of “momentum”.
“I’ve been on 45 different teams (sic). I learned to work with different people. Glad to be back in DC with the guys as they grow and progress. The goal is to reach the playoffs. We have a bit of catching up to do. But to be able to be on the pitch with the guys was already very good. “
The upcoming integration of Porzingis
Knowing that Beal is unavailable for the rest of the season with his wrist injury, and that he will be in his last year of contract next year, the Wizards will certainly throw their last strength to hang the playoffs, but a other side, they will also be able to test things.
At the forefront of which is Kristaps Porzingis, the Latvian interior defector from the Mavs who must regain confidence and health after several very mixed seasons in Texas.
“The general pulse of the team is much more relaxed”, add Unseld. “They know that’s going to be the group we’re going to keep for the next few months so they can play more loosely too. “
There are 24 games left for the Wizards to regain collective cohesion and continue to develop young shooters recently drafted, such as former Gonzaga comrades, Rui Hachimura (20 points) and Corey Kispert (16 points), who showed great promise last night . But also Deni Avdija who should have interesting minutes in the second part of the season.
Despite a most painful winter, including a series of 6 losses or this other bad pass with 7 losses in 8 games, the Wizards are still alive, even reinvigorated after the “trade deadline” which calmed the locker room.
“We always want to keep the same approach to matches, namely, to win as much as possible”, concludes Wes Unseld Jr. “ This is the priority. We want to attack these last 24 games with aggression. “
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| Bradley Beal | 40 | 36.0 | 45.1 | 30.0 | 83.3 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 6.6 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 23.2 |
| Kyle Kuzma | 55 | 33.2 | 45.2 | 33.4 | 70.3 | 1.1 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 16.3 |
| Montrezl Harrell | 46 | 24.3 | 64.5 | 26.7 | 72.7 | 2.1 | 4.6 | 6.7 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 14.1 |
| Spencer Dinwiddie | 44 | 30.2 | 37.6 | 31.0 | 81.1 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.8 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 12.6 |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 55 | 29.4 | 41.0 | 38.0 | 89.9 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 11.6 |
| Ish Smith | 4 | 22.0 | 58.8 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 5.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.8 | 10.5 |
| Rui Hachimura | 18 | 18.3 | 45.5 | 46.2 | 78.6 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 8.9 |
| Daniel Gafford | 49 | 20.4 | 67.3 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 8.8 |
| Thomas Bryant | 16 | 17.3 | 51.5 | 31.0 | 83.3 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 8.1 |
| Raulzinho Neto | 49 | 20.3 | 45.5 | 24.4 | 74.7 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 7.8 |
| Deni Avdija | 58 | 23.4 | 44.1 | 30.7 | 76.7 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 7.7 |
| Brad Wanamaker | 1 | 27.1 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 |
| Corey Kispert | 53 | 19.8 | 43.0 | 32.2 | 88.4 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 6.8 |
| Aaron Holiday | 41 | 16.2 | 46.7 | 34.3 | 80.0 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 6.1 |
| Davis Bertans | 34 | 14.7 | 35.1 | 31.9 | 93.3 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 5.7 |
| Greg Monroe | 2 | 8.8 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 4.0 |
| Anthony Gill | 26 | 8.7 | 62.3 | 63.6 | 71.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 3.6 |
| Cassius Winston | 4 | 5.8 | 50.0 | 40.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 |
| Craig Sword | 3 | 6.3 | 75.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| Tremont Waters | 1 | 8.4 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Isaiah Todd | 10 | 4.1 | 29.4 | 36.4 | 33.3 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.6 |
| Alize Johnson | 3 | 6.1 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| Joel Ayayi | 7 | 2.9 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Vernon Carey, Jr. | 1 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Jaime Echenique | 1 | 3.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Jordan Schakel | 2 | 7.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Jordan Goodwin | 2 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
