2016-17 NBA Season Preview: Washington Wizards
Welcome to theScore's 2016-17 NBA preview, where you'll find comprehensive coverage of all 30 teams and storylines to watch this season.
Washington Wizards
2015-16
| Record | Southeast | East | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41-41 | 4th | 10th | N/A |
Offseason roundup
| Additions | Departures |
|---|---|
| Ian Mahinmi (4/$64M) | Nene (HOU) |
| Marcus Thornton (minimum) | Ramon Sessions (CHA) |
| Andrew Nicholson (4/$26M) | Jared Dudley (PHX) |
| Tomas Satoransky (3/$9M) | JJ Hickson (China) |
| Jason Smith (3/$16M) | Garrett Temple (SAC) |
| Trey Burke (trade) | Alan Anderson (LAC) |
| Johnny O'Bryant (training camp) |
- Re-signed Bradley Beal (5/$128M)
Projected starting five
- PG John Wall
- SG Bradley Beal
- SF Otto Porter
- PF Markieff Morris
- C Marcin Gortat
Player to watch: Bradley Beal
While John Wall remains the Wizards' best player, Washington's 2016-17 success will largely hinge on Bradley Beal's ability to stay healthy.
Injuries have been a cause for concern since Beal's rookie season, with the 6-foot-5 shooting guard missing a total of 81 games over his four-year career. Even Beal himself has little confidence in his ability to stay fit at this point, suggesting last season that he may need to be on a minutes restriction for the remainder of his career.
When healthy, Beal is one of the premier shooting guards in the game, serving as a dangerous threat on both ends of the floor. Beal looked primed for a breakout year after a strong start to the 2015-16 season, but saw his progress stunted after a mid-December stress reaction in his right fibula that kept him out for nearly a month.
Although his injury history is a clear red flag, Washington showed supreme confidence in Beal this summer, inking the Florida product to a five-year, $128-million max contract.
Beal's ability to spread the floor works wonders for Wall, a player who gets the majority of his points by attacking the basket. After losing three-point marksman Jared Dudley this offseason, Washington will rely on Beal more than ever as they look to improve upon an offense that finished 19th in efficiency last year.
Season expectations
Despite making a number of moves this summer, Washington's offseason was highlighted by numerous reports suggesting that Wall and Beal's relationship had taken a turn for the worse. Wall cleared the air not long after, but chemistry issues could be something to look out for if the Wizards reach a rough patch at some point this season.
After finishing just 24th in bench net rating (minus-1.1), Washington worked hard to revamp their second unit this summer, saying goodbye to a number of rotation players and bringing in five proven NBA veterans. Only time will tell whether the new faces will actually make a difference, or will follow the path of their predecessors.
While the bench remains a question mark, the Wizards' starting unit should continue to thrive in 2016-17. After a slow start to the year, Washington starters picked it up following the arrival of Markieff Morris at the trade deadline, posting a respectable 3.1 net-rating for the remainder of the season.
Replacing Randy Wittman with Scott Brooks will give the Wizards a fresh start, but at the end of the day, Washington is nothing more than a first-round punching bag for one of the premier teams in the conference.