With just Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook as their main contributors last NBA season, the Washington Wizards snuck into the playoffs via the play-in tournament but were thrown out of the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Washington’s main goal this past offseason was to add more depth and scoring weapons and as a result, they traded Westbrook to the Lakers for a return of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, and Montrezl Harrell, all of which have contributed big-time minutes and production to this point in the year.
Through 20 games, the Wizards are 13-7 and currently sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with contending teams like the Nets, Bulls, and Heat. The one thing that was holding the Wizards back over the years was their lack of depth and now, they are running 10, sometimes 11 guys deep in their rotations, and Rui Hachimura has not even played yet!
First-time head coach Wes Unseld Jr. has this team playing together and playing tough on the interior, as they currently rank 6th in the league in rebounding. Bradley Beal has continued to be the All-NBA talent he is — averaging 23.1 points per game on 42.8% shooting, but the story of this team has been the production from the secondary talent on this Wizards’ roster.
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Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell (off-the-bench) and Spencer Dinwiddie are all averaging double-digit scoring figures so far this season and Washington is starting to get consistent production off-the-bench from guys like Deni Avdija and Raul Neto as well.
This team seems to have fun out there on the floor together and with a home crowd that is finally on their side again, the Wizards are definitely a threat in the Eastern Conference this year. They may not be championship contenders, but there is no reason why they cannot make the playoffs at this rate and be a threat to win a playoff series.
However, it may take one or two more talented players on this roster for the Wizards to reach this kind of potential. Rui Hachimura returning will give them a big boost in the frontcourt, but adding more bench depth could be highly beneficial to this team.
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Ranking 9th in the league in bench points per game, Washington definitely has a lot of talent already in their second-unit, but adding more depth on the wing is going to be essential for them if they are to be a true contending team.
Outside of Kyle Kuzma, the Wizards really do not have a consistent shooter/scoring weapon on the outside, which is why they could look to add another forward/wing ahead of this season’s trade deadline.
Do the Washington Wizards have the ability to make some big trades ahead of this season’s trade deadline? Let’s take a look at three players Washington could target, as proposed by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, and evaluate whether or not the Wizards should “pass or pursue” said trade targets.
