The Washington Wizards Will Be Fine!
By:Tyrone Montgomery Jr.
Headline Photo Credit:NBA.com
In the NBA, it’s not always about how you start. Slow starts are sometimes just a part of the process. You can’t rush greatness. What’s more important is how you finish. In a nutshell, The Wizards have been playing with a backup Center most of the season. That offers reason to such a slow start of the year. While Jason Smith and Ian Mahinmi are good options at Center, they’re still not Dwight Howard. Despite all the criticism he’s had throughout his career, Howard is a safe bet to be a Hall Of Famer. In just his second game of the year, Howard helped lead the way with a +27 in PER and offered a solid Double-Double (10 Points-10 Rebounds) that help get The Washington Wizards their 2nd win of the season as they defeated the New York Knicks 108-95. Otto Porter was out this game with a toe contusion and he is listed as day-to-day. In his absence, Kelly Oubre got the start at the Forward position. But the Forwards that flourished in Porter’s absence were Markieff Morris (16 Points) and Jeff Green (14 Points). Morris led the way for this Wizards team early on, but the stars are always the ones to seal the deals when it’s all said and done. John Wall and Bradley Beal led the way as they had a combined 48 Points.
It’s been said before, and it’s time to say it again. This backcourt is amongst the best of the league. Bradley Beal is a reliable scorer. He’s had 20+ Points in 8 of 9 games this season. It’s hard to find an all-around player these days in today’s game of basketball. John Wall is exactly as advertised. There’s a reason he has that contract. There’s a reason he’s the face of the franchise. He scores when he has to, but he also gets his teammates involved too. Alongside of that, he brings it on the defensive end as well as he ranks 2nd in the league with 2.4 Steals/Game. So you may wonder why the slow start. This team just needs time to gel. They have a new starting Center in Dwight Howard. He just returned back from what was being called a piriformis injury (Small muscle located deep in the buttock). 2 key rotation players are new to this team, Jeff Green and Austin Rivers. We haven’t seen too many money balls from this team just yet. 3-Point Specialist Jodie Meeks is still out due to a suspension and now Otto is down, but is only day to day.
We need to have patience with this team because the Beast of the East have left and moved on to The Lakers. So, in reality, the East is wide open. Outside of Toronto and maybe Milwaukee, things are out of order. The Philadelphia 76ers are a mess. Despite all the talent, Boston is still trying to figure things out. And all of the teams that rank ahead of this Wizards team are wildcard teams. So in other words, these wildcard teams are teams that would consider it a pleasant surprise if they were to make the playoffs. This Wizards team is getting healthy. They have a pretty light schedule ahead of them (Mavericks, Magic -2X, Heat, Cavs, and Nets). One key thing worth noting is that this was the first game the Wizards held their opponents under 100 Points all season. That is something to build upon. This Wizards team is going to be just fine because it’s not how you start, but rather, how you finish.
