By: Paul McGuire
“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”
Nowhere does Oscar Wilde’s statement ring true more than in the world of sports, but here in the nation’s capital, even as a highly disappointing Redskins seasons ends, the Washington Wizards really are not talked about. To be perfectly honest, there is little to discuss. There is no major player drama like in New York with JR Smith or Minnesota with Kevin Love, there’s no aggressive tanking for the #1 seed, no big winning streak to celebrate, or a shot for true playoff contention. Even the team as a whole is average, right down to their near .500 record as well as a mediocre offensive and defensive efficiency.
An average team like the Wizards should not beat a team that is contending to win it all. But as the Rockets have made clear all too often this season and particularly in last night’s loss against Atlanta, it does not take much for Houston to fall asleep and give away winnable games.
- Washington’s uncreative offense begins and ends with John Wall. Wall will take advantage of his speed or use a screen set by one of Nene, Marcin Gortat, or Trevor Booker to drive and kick over and over again, and Washington does not have a lot of options if you can succeed in limiting both Wall’s athleticism and point guard skills. The last time that the Rockets came into the Verizon Center, Wall did a great job initiating the offense while he also held Jeremy Lin to 2-9 shooting with just 5 points. Lin has not been quite himself since returning from injury as well, and he came off arguably his worst performance of this season against Atlanta.
- Houston’s injuries have badly affected their already shaky depth, but the Wizards have had problems of their own even when healthy. Nene comes off the bench in order to provide 2nd quarter scoring, but aside from him, the Wizards are stuck depending on Jan Vesely and Martell Webster. Much like Harden and Parsons have played heavy minutes due to a lack of good wing depth, the Wizards have had to play Wall heavy minutes to handle the fact that their main backup point guard this season…is Garret Temple. The former Rocket is shooting 30% for the season.
- Speaking of 30%: last night’s defeat against Atlanta was only the second time during the last seven games when the Rockets achieved the great accomplishment of shooting above 30% from the 3 point line. With Chandler Parsons doubtful, the complete non-shooter in Ronnie Brewer in the starting lineup( who in 48 minutes of starting has scored 0 points), and Garcia slumping worse than ever, I must admit I am not looking for things to get better there tonight.
Rotation Spotlight:
Bradley Beal
After Beal’s stellar finish at the end of the 2012-13 season, there were some DC commentators who went so far as to declare that Beal could be the future of the Wizards as opposed to John Wall. So far this season, Beal’s performance has instead shown the need to be careful of projecting a young player who finishes strong while the team engages on a blatant tanking run.
That is not to suggest that Beal is a bad player. But while he has been an incredible 3-point shooter this season at over 44%, he has not really improved anywhere else. Beal looks for a jumper more than he looks to drive, and gets easily rattled by aggressive defenses that deny him the jump shot at all costs. He has the capability to drive and pass, but it has been highly inconsistent for most of the season. While Beal is shooting the ball well from 3, he currently is averaging less than 40% when he is driven off the line.
However, Beal, with a style revolving around screens and long-range shooting, is the exact sort of player who gives Harden fits on the defensive end. The Rockets must play Beal tightly and not give him the 3 at all costs. If they do, Beal will likely stay passive or begin firing up long 2’s, both of which will work well in Houston’s favor.
Tip-off is at 6 pm CST.
