Wizards are in a better spot now than they were last season
Other than Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, the Washington Wizards did not really have any true contributors last season, nor did they have any depth. Rui Hachimura was a really solid secondary talent for them and Daniel Gafford came on late in the year to give them solid play in the frontcourt, but they really did not have a lot of talent on their roster.
After trading Russell Westbrook in the offseason and adding some other players in the offseason, the Wizards now have Spencer Dinwiddie, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Corey Kispert, Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans, Deni Avdija, Daniel Gafford, Thomas Bryant, and Montrzl Harrell, giving them a ton of depth at virtually every spot on the court.
Is this team truly in a better position though than they were last year? Russ was good for a triple-double per game and Bradley Beal was scoring 40-plus points on some nights, resulting in them making the playoffs and somehow claiming the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference after having one of the worst records in the league at the All-Star break.
While this team definitely addressed their depth problem, the Wizards really are not in a much better spot than they were with Westbrook. At least they knew what they were going to get with him on the court, but now, there are a ton of question marks on Washington roster.
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Spencer Dinwiddie and Thomas Bryant are both coming off ACL surgeries and may not be the same talents they once were, Davis Bertans has struggled at times doing anything other than shooting threes and Kuzma, Avdija and Gafford still have a lot to prove in terms of what they can bring to the table.
On paper, this team may appear to be better than they were last season, but quite honestly, it is hard to envision the Wizards making the playoffs this season. If they do, it will most definitely be by earning their spot via the play-in tournament, but overall, Washington is not in a better spot than the likes of the Bulls, Hornets and Pacers, three teams who missed the playoffs in the east last season.
Verdict: SELL
