Washington has built a fun team to watch. They have one of the best backcourts in the league with John Wall and Bradley Beal. Washington can do things around the perimeter while also having two huge men in the paint.
The East is a top-heavy conference. Cleveland and Chicago are the two teams many put on top, but shouldn’t Washington also be mentioned?
Could John Wall be a sleeper MVP candidate?
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Washington Wizards.
2013-14 Win/Loss Record: 44-38
Key Additions: SF Paul Pierce, C DeJuan Blair, SF Rasual Butler & PF Kris Humphries
Key Losses: SG Trevor Ariza, PF Al Harrington & SF Chris Singleton
Projected Starters: Marcin Gortat, Nene Hilario, Paul Pierce, Bradley Beal & John Wall
Fantasy Sleeper: SF Otto Porter Jr. – Paul Pierce will need his rest. Porter was a blue chipper at Georgetown. His rookie season was mess, since he didn’t come into the season healthy. The Wizards might need to rely on him at times this season.
Team Analysis: Washington made it to the second round of the playoffs last season. They beat Chicago in five games, but ran into Indiana. They lost in six games, but really made the Pacers work. The Wizards needed that playoff experience.
They were able to acquire Paul Pierce this offseason. They lacked a leader with championship experience to show the young guys what they need to do. Pierce was a huge piece of the puzzle. He may not play 70 games this season, but he can teach Wall and Beal what they need to do to prepare for big games. Also, having a future Hall of Famer in the locker room will help keep the knuckleheads at bay.
Washington is my darkhorse pick to make it out of the East. They can play two different ways. They can play finesse basketball and push the ball up and down the court. They can also grind out wins with Nene and Gortat beating defenders in the low-post. I really like Washington for those reasons.
If Washington gets a #2 seed or better, John Wall will be in the MVP discussion. He will be the main reason they would be there.
2014-15 Wins Over/Under Betting Line: 49.5 (Prediction: OVER)
2014-15 Projected Win/Loss Record: 52-30 (3rd in Eastern Conference)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.