2011-12 Washington Wizards Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
The Washington Wizards finished the 2010-11 NBA season with a dismal 23-59 record, the fourth worse record of any team in the league. The good news is the Wizards appear to headed in the right direction, and very well may compete for a playoff spot as soon as this season. For that to happen head coach Flip Saunders must figure out a way to get his young players to grow up in a hurry. The Wizards played a lot of sloppy basketball last year, especially on the defensive end.
The Wizards have had a pretty solid offseason that has only added to the buzz surrounding this team. It all started at the draft, where Washington scored Jan Vesely (No. 6), Chris Singleton (No. 18), and Sheldon Mack (No. 34). Vesley is an athletic forward who can run the floor, Singleton was considered the best defensive player in the draft, and Mack should become a valuable reserve. The biggest move of the offseason was re-signing free agent shooting guard Nick Young, who averaged a team-best 17.5 ppg last year. They also added in Roger Mason Jr and Ronny Turiaf, both of which played for the Knicks last year.
Wall is the main reason why so many expect to Washington make some big improvements this season. The second-year point guard averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.75 steals a game as a rookie. What a lot of people don’t realize is the fact that Wall played most of the year at less than 100%. If he can avoid the injury bug, he is going to put up some amazing offensive numbers.
Wall and Young will be joined in the starting lineup with center JaVale McGee, power forward Andray Blatche, and small forward Rashard Lewis. Both McGee and Blatche have the talent to be very good players, but right now they lack discipline and focus. Blatche averaged 16.8 points and 8.2 rebounds, while McGee averaged 8.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.44 blocks a game. Lewis came over in a trade with the Magic last season, and averaged just over 12 points a game.
Just how much the Wizards improve this season will likely come down to the production they get out of their bench players. All three rookies figure to see playing time off the bench, especially Vesely and Singleton. The Wizards also have a pretty solid backup shooting guard in Jordan Crawford, who averaged nearly 12 points a game last year. Turiaf, Mason Jr, Trevor Booker, and Trevor Booker also figure to play a key role this season.
Prediction: 4th Eastern Conference Southeast Division – I really like what the Wizards are putting together, and if Wall can stay healthy I don’t think there is any doubt they are a better team this year. Just how much better, depends on the development and maturity of the rest of the team. Rashard Lewis is the only projected starter over the age of 26. I think the Wizards will have no trouble finishing ahead of the Bobcats, but I still think they are a year or two away from making a serious run in the Eastern Conference.
Find out where we have all 30 NBA teams finishing in our 2011-12 NBA Predictions article.
If you are looking to make some money this NBA season, be sure to check out what Steve Janus has to offer. Steve finished No. 7 overall in the NBA last year, thanks in large part to a 37-17 run towards the end of last season!
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