Season Preview: Washington Wizards

Last season: 43-39

Key additions: Dwight Howard, Austin Rivers, Jeff Green

Projected Starters: John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr., Markieff Morris, Dwight Howard

Last season was a very underwhelming one for the Wizards. This can be attributed in large part to the injury ravaged campaign that was season eight for John Wall. Needless to say, as he goes, the team goes. That over-reliance and dependence became ever-present as they saw stretches where Beal was forced to grow as the number one option in Wall's absence. This was good, in a sense, because Beal was able to post a career-high in both rebounds (4.4) and his playmaking grew immensely (4.5 apg) with the uptick in usage rate as well as minutes per game. Should he continue his growth along with a healthy John Wall, the Wizards could make some noise and surprise many this season.

One Phrase for the Wizards 2018-2019 season: Now or Never

This is the best supporting cast this guard duo (nicknamed Hustle and Flow by ESPN's Jalen Rose) has had since they've ascended as an elite tandem. On top of that, that LeBron James guy relinquished that vise-grip like stranglehold on the conference by going West, leaving things wide open in the East. They have an ever-improving Otto Porter at the 3, a rough, rugged, reliable, and versatile Markieff Morris at the 4, and a quietly solid and consistent (despite the washed jokes on Twitter) Dwight Howard at the 5. This is all to go with the best bench they have had in recent memory with Austin Rivers (an elite bench guard), Jodie Meeks, Kelly Oubre Jr., Jeff Green, Ian Mahinmi, and Tomas Satoransky. This presents a solid mix of capable defenders, shooting, and rim protection that should be able to spell the starters effectively and create separation against most teams when in the game.

What do the Additions Bring?

Dwight Howard

In a system somewhat similar to the system he will be an integral part of in Washington, Howard enjoyed a respectable season with Charlotte. For him to have played so well with another underrated point guard in Kemba, it should be expected for him to be just as good if not much better with Wall. Howard is now paired with the best passing point guard he has been able to play with (Nash was not in his prime or healthy when in LA, relax) and Wall knows how to make plays out of the pick and roll and set his big men up to eat as well as any guard not named Chris Paul. Dwight should see even more rejuvenation in his career this season. Howard still has a post presence and the gravity attached to him when he rolls to the basket is going to be great for the Wizards. Even more, Howards new-found secondary playmaking ability after receiving passes in the pick and roll to find shooters will be a new and more effective wrinkle for Washington to deploy. They have a roster full of average to above average spot up shooters, expect for this to be clutch come playoff time. He should be better in changing ends of the court to keep up with and allow for Wall to find him on rim runs in transition.

Compared to Gortat last season, Howard will prove to be a great upgrade. Dwight will also prove to be the best pick and roll partner Wall will have had in his career as well.

Austin Rivers and Jeff Green

These two both bring a new dynamic as well. Not only do they bring viability via name-sake, but they also bring veteran experience as they both have accumulated a lot of playoff experience, but also production. For Rivers, his defense when coming in for Wall will prove to be impactful early and often, both he and Oubre Jr. should be a solid tandem off the bench, much like Van Fleet and Delon Wright were in Toronto last season. Jeff Green enjoyed a solid campaign with the Cavaliers last season. Both Rivers and Green will be in the teams rotation come playoff time.

They had a quiet offseason, and enter the 2018-2019 season with almost no national media expectations, which should allow for them to make noise this season. They should be ambitious with a conference finals goal. They can realistically make this happen as well. But they should have had at least one of these appearances the last few years, so could and should continues to be an issue regarding their aspirations versus realities. This season will be an interesting one for the Wizards.

There are plenty of questions swirling thier two best players, much like what's going on in Portland, but they will have a much easier time addressing those via winning in the Eastern Conference.

Point of Focus: Who will show up for them in the playoffs outside of Wall and Porter?

Wall may not have the most attractive shooting numbers in the playoffs, but his activity and fingerprint remain ever-present and he becomes even more impactful on that playoff stage. Often times, however, he is left somewhat stranded by his sidekick Bradley Beal. Beal has gotten better, but they need more from him specifically when paired with Wall. I see no reason why they cannot reach the conference finals should they get both peak Wall and peak Beal at the same time. I think having the 3rd seed should be their realistic target placing this season. That lobs them into the upper tier with Boston, Toronto, and Philadelphia while also avoiding Boston specifically as long as possible. I think rather highly of Washington as their roster is as diverse and deep as ever before. Let's see if they can put it all together and have their aspirations manifest. If history does repeat itself regarding their dynamic duo and the team as a whole, they will fizzle out in the second round again. A good bill of health should play in their favor, but we shall see.

Prediction: 4-5 seed with a 50-32 record; second round exit.