NBA
Reasons for Optimism: Washington Wizards
While John Wall's injury clouds things, there's plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of Washington Wizards basketball
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It’s been a rough time in the Nation’s capital as of late. Since the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in June of 2018, the Nationals finished as an average team and lost the face of the city in the offseason, yet put together a solid rebound season in 2019. And as for the Wizards, owners of the fifth-worst winning percentage in NBA history, their franchise player tore his Achilles. It’s an especially depressing reality considering at the end of 2018, they were coming off a run of four playoff appearances in five years with Wall and Beal set to enter their primes.
All that under consideration, Washington fans shouldn’t lose hope yet. The old regime headed by Ernie Grunfeld is gone, and fresh management led by out-of-the-box hirings give reason to expect something different. While the Wall contract is an immutable stain on the Wizards cap sheet, there’s top prospects to be had in pole draft position and a young, desirable asset like Bradley Beal. Despite their seemingly bleak outlook, Wizards fans have reasons for optimism going forward.
Led by the hapless Ernie Grunfeld for 15 years, the Wizards front office was long overdue for a change. Former Vice President of Basketball Operations Tommy Sheppard was given the keys to the kingdom after months as interim GM, but the real shakeup came from the subsequent hirings throughout the organization. Excluding in-house promotions, the Wizards made 10 new hires in the past month, seven to the front office and three to the coaching staff.
One of the headliners is former Browns executive Sashi Brown, who’s been hired as senior vice president under Sheppard. Wizards great Antawn Jamison is just one of many new faces in the franchise’s beefed-up scouting operation, along with John Thompson III and Johnny Rogers, former Clippers director of player personnel. While new isn’t synonymous with better, this trend is at least an indication that Owner Ted Leonsis wants to scale up the front office, similar to the more modernly constructed organizations around the league.
Combine Wall’s absence with a shoddy supporting cast, and Bradley Beal’s primed for a quantum leap forward this season. He’s coming off two straight All-Star appearances and for 82 games, he’ll be the undisputed No. 1 option on the Wizards offense. In the 47 games after John Wall was ruled out for the season, Beal averaged 27.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG 6.0 APG and 1.8 SPG. Obviously Beal’s is a smaller sample size, but only seven players in NBA history have put up those numbers in an entire season, all current or future Hall of Famers. He has the potential to join elite company this year.
First and foremost, Beal’s ascension gives the Wizards the opportunity to lock up a potential top 10-15 player in the league. Let’s not forget, Beal is 26: his best years are ahead of him. Secondly, his stock is up as a trade asset. The Wizards have declared adamantly they’re not moving him, but it’s not necessarily up to them. If Beal forces the Wizards hand down the road by declining to sign an extension, they’ll get a high return based on the lofty production he’s likely going to put up this season. Thirdly, his growth will give the franchise some national recognition and despondent fans a reason to tune back in. It’s going to be the Bradley Beal show in Washington this year, and don’t be surprised if it’s on a level of play we’ve never seen from Beal before.
While it won’t affect wins and losses, Rui Hachimura’s Japanese background is sure to increase the Wizards viewership and international profile. The first Japanese player ever taken in the first round of the draft, Hachimura is already considered the “No. 1 athlete in Japan” and has a nation of 180 million people behind him. He’s dominated the early stages of FIBA play and his media exposure was on full display during the summer league, where dozens of Japanese news outlets lined up for the chance to talk to him.
So why does this matter? Well, Hachimura’s following means more Wizards fans. More Wizards fans means more ticket sales, merchandise, and viewership. Bottom line, it means more money that can be invested into the operations and facilities to attract better players. Although the relationship between Hachimura and the franchise is in the beginning stages, there’s an avenue to forging more connections overseas, a tantalizing opportunity for prospective free agents and prospects. The NBA is a global league, it’s about time the Wizards got on board.
Let’s face it, the Wizards aren’t going to be very good this year. Fandex has their over/under set at 32 wins, fifth-worst in the league. To give an idea of how thin they are, Thomas Bryant is the second-best player on the active roster. Odds are, most NBA fans have never even heard of the guy. Washington is facing a lame duck season, patiently waiting for John Wall’s return to run it back with him and Beal in 2020-21, hopefully with more reinforcements than the current roster provides.
As with any team set to finish in the bottom of the standings, there’s a silver lining of upcoming prime draft position. The Wizards haven’t had a top-five pick since Otto Porter Jr. in 2013; hopefully that’ll change next draft. No. 9 overall pick Rui Hachimura was a fine selection, but he’s likely not an immediate-impact rookie making significant contributions. Unlike last season, the Wizards aren’t going into this year as a psuedo-playoff contender, they’re armed with the knowledge they’re not making the playoffs. Although they’d never admit it publicly, it’ll help them focus more heavily on the scouting of these elite draft prospects that could call the nation’s capital home in a year.
For years, the Wizards have been held down by one of the bleakest cap sheets in the entire NBA. Many can point their fingers toward the regime of Ernie Grunfeld, but it doesn’t change the fact the franchise is $21 million over the salary cap going into the 2019-20 season. After that, however, the slew of regrettable contracts on the Wizards roster expire, providing some wiggle room to try and build around a core of Wall and Beal.
One of the big winners of the infamously expensive 2016 offseason, Ian Mahinmi is in the last year of a four-year, $64 million contract. In three years with the Wizards, he’s averaged 4.8 points and 4.2 rebounds; it’s safe to say they’ll renounce his rights. Add in David Bertans’ and C.J. Miles’s expiring, and the Wizards are off the hook for $31.1 million. To convince Beal of their long-term vision, new management has to surround him with dynamic free agent signings in 2020.
