The Washington Wizards are currently 24-40 (9th in the Eastern Conference) putting them 5.5 games back from the 8th seed with only eight games left. While moving within four games of the eight seed would be good enough to clinch a play-in tournament spot, it would be costing them better odds at landing a higher draft pick in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft.
It’ll be even tougher for DC to move up the standings now with their Latvian sharpshooter Davis Bertans electing to sit out the 2020 return in Orlando. His decision to sit out the rest of the season sits on the principle of him attempting to avoid an injury that could cost him millions of dollars this upcoming offseason, especially considering his medical history already includes two torn ACL injuries.
UPDATE: Washington Wizards PF Davis Bertans will sit out the NBA restart in Orlando, FL as a pending FA with a history of 2 ACL tears (via @wojespn) pic.twitter.com/roZJdDQKZ3
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) June 22, 2020
After spending four seasons as a pro overseas, Davis Bertans was drafted with the 42nd pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. Hours later, Bertans was sent to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the monumental trade that landed 2020 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Like most second round overseas draft picks, Bertans was stocked overseas to maintain a healthy amount of minutes, work on his game, and develop his NBA skills. Finally, the Latvian got the call before the 2016 season and joined Gregg Popovich’s Spurs with their sights set on winning another championship.
Fast forward to the 2019 offseason as the Spurs just announced the signing of Marcus Morris to a 2y/$20M contract thus forcing the San Antonio Spurs to trade sharpshooter Davis Bertans to the Washington Wizards for Andrew White (0 career NBA minutes) in a salary dump. The Spurs only made the deal because they couldn’t afford to keep Morris and Bertans, so they had to find a way to get Bertans off of the salary cap. However, things took an immediate turn when Morris reneged on the deal and signed with the New York Knicks, leaving a massive whole at the Spurs’ Power Forward position.
As expected Coach Pop was hot and had this to say about the debacle, “It was more than difficult to lose Davis (Bertans), let’s just say that was an unfortunate situation that was handled unprofessionally on a couple of different levels,” Popovich said. “We made that move to make the signing that we did, and got blindsided. Davis was a special player, he was young and getting better, so we hated losing him.” This is pretty high praise from a coach that’s had a lot of success with foreign-born players like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli.
As a first year Wizard, Davis Bertans broke out in the 2019-20 NBA season after putting up career averages across the board. The Latvian Laser ranks near the top-five in every three point shooting statistic and seems destined to cash in on a $15M+/year contract this offseason. Whether that deal comes from the Wizards or another franchise is yet to be determined, but the former Euro star has solidified himself as a legitimate scoring threat.
Although Bertans is defensively limited, he has a lot more athleticism and defensive upside than he’s given credit for. Bertans plays solid defense for a player of his stature by utilizing good effort and acceptable footwork. At 6-10, Bertans has the size to play the PF and C positions, which applies relentless stress on opposing defenses due to his ability to spread the floor. The former Spur’s ability to tire out lengthy defenders due to his off-ball movement has a positive effect as the game wears down and defenders run out of energy. Players like Bertans ruin coaches game plans because no one wants their big man chasing shooters around screens or moving 25 feet away from the bucket.
Not to mention Bertans hasn’t gotten the chance to play with one of the best passers in the game in the oft- injured John Wall. Wall’s shown a unique ability to bring out the best in his shooting-capable teammates by elevating the likes of Trevor Ariza, Martell Webster, and more to career three-point seasons. John Wall’s speed and attacking mindset continually draws the defense, allowing shooters to get separation and take plenty of more open threes. With Bertans’ ability to display limitless range and shoot on the move, the Wizards have high hopes and expectations for this combos ability to gel, because it has the potential to become one of the best assisted groups in the league.
Thankfully for the Wizards, Bertans has grown into the organization’s future plans despite only playing 54 games with the franchise. The 27-year-old has taken full advantage of Scott Brooks’ high-scoring system and has officially become one of the best shooters in the game. Bertans and General Manager Tommy Sheppard have a great relationship and the organization is supportive of him sitting out the season’s return considering his injury history and upcoming Free Agency.
The Wizards and Bertans have displayed mutual interest in a long-term partnership for months, which even led to the Wizards declining trade offers in hopes that Bertans will re-sign this offseason. The Wizards do hold his Bird Rights, which gives them the ability to offer more money than other franchises, so no one should be surprised if this is one of DC’s first moves to get completed this offseason.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: B (Quality starting PF)
The Washington Wizards have recently made a big (and necessary) change in the front office by firing Ernie Grunfeld in favor of Tommy Sheppard. In Sheppard’s first year as General Manger, he selected Japanese sensation Rui Hachimura in the first round, acquired sharpshooter Davis Bertans, the energetic Mo Wagner, lengthy defender Isaac Bonga, big-bodied Admiral Schofield, the 2018 NBA Draft’s 13th pick in Jerome Robinson, and most importantly secured Bradley Beal to an extension.
Rui Hachimura will have to carry most of the Power Forward duties with 6th man Davis Bertans sitting out the remainder of the season. Hachimura was considered a reach amongst many when the Wizards selected him with the ninth pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, but he’s proving all of his doubters wrong. The first ever Japanese-born player to get drafted in the NBA hit the ground running as a first-year pro. He’s averaging a respectable 13 PPG and 6 RPG despite missing a chunk of a season with a groin injury. It’s intriguing to see a sense of patience to his game as he finds ways to get to his spot, raise up, and hit mid-range jumpers consistently.
The 21-year-old catches a lot of defenders off guard when he implements his strength before finishing strong, but the most encouraging part of Hachimura’s game is how he scores NBA buckets in a variety of ways. Hachimura scores a bunch of his points on fadeaways, shooting over defenders, creating small pockets of separation, and finding ways to finish at the rim. The Gonzaga alum has a sense of savviness and wisdom in his game even though he hasn’t even completed his first professional season. Like most developing young players, Hachimura struggles guarding the best players in the world and must improve to help this terrible defensive team. If Hachimura can develop his three point shot and defense, he could become a staple for Japanese players for generations.
The Wizards have always had their sights set on German big man Moe Wagner, and were ecstatic to set up a trade package to acquire him from the Los Angeles Lakers. The 22-year-old Wagner has played 100% of his minutes at the Center position in 2019-20, but he played over 40% of his minutes at PF for the Lakers in 2018. Wagner has been a pleasant surprise for the Wizards, as he’s shown the ability to stretch the floor, draw charges, and play with tons of energy. Wagner’s attitude and determination to improve is something DC has been lacking in their locker room for most of the John Wall and Bradley Beal era (ex. Javale McGee, Nick Young, Jan Vesely, etc.). As long as Wagner continues to improve his shot and plays with relentless effort, he’ll be in the nation’s capital for a long time.
Admiral Schofield was selected in the second round out of Tennessee in the 2019 NBA draft and has appeared sparingly in 27 games during his rookie season. Schofield comes into the league with strong football bloodlines, which explains his 6’5, 241 lb build which is only four pounds less than Wagner, yet with six less inches of height. Schofield has a similar build to Draymond Green (6’6 230), allowing him to guard a variety of Forwards and even gives him the ability to play Center in small-ball lineups. Although Green is known specifically for his defense, intensity, and passing, Schofield is more of an offensive threat due to his ability to effectively hit threes, make strong drives, and finish at the bucket.
WIZARDS PF OUTLOOK: B+ (Hachimura’s bright future gives DC stability for years)
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