A Sheppard’s Weep: The Wizards Woes
The Washington Wizards’ General Manager Tommy Sheppard | Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images
With a couple of summer league games now in the books, the performance of Johnny Davis, the 10th pick in June's draft, has been underwhelming. Though it is only the summer league, it has been the sole indicator of his performance. When you look at the collective unit of the Wizards' past draftees, it has been slightly disappointing.
Johnny Davis in the NBA Summer League | Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images
Deni Avdija and Rui Hachimura have been the two most notable picks under Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard. Both forwards have shown some potential but have not reached the potential of their positions in the draft. Both draftees were the ninth pick of their respective classes. Top-10 picks are typically seen as the best players in their draft, and they have not been those guys just yet for the Wizards. However, multiple players drafted after both individuals have overachieved, including Keldon Johnson, Jordan Poole, Tyrese Haliburton, and Desmond Bane.
Their 2021 first-round draft pick Corey Kispert had a pedestrian rookie season. There was some good in that season but also some negative. Ultimately, it seems like the Wizards have been investing in project players, players who are not able to make an immediate impact but will eventually make an impact down the line. The issue with their drafting process is that it hinders the Wizards' current ability to compete. When drafting project players so high in the draft, the organization must be patient to an extent. However, when you have a player like Bradley Beal, who is trying to win now, it is a conflicting game plan.
When John Wall was the franchise centerpiece, the team tried to bring complementary pieces around him. They drafted in a secondary scorer in Beal back in 2012 and brought in center Marcin Gortat, whom the two perfected the pick & roll together. Ultimately the team could not make it past the second round, but at least the effort to win was there. When looking at Beal’s tenure as “The Guy,” the best player they brought in was Kristaps Porzingis, who when healthy is good, but the two do not fit each other’s play styles. Former Laker Kyle Kuzma has worked out for the team thus far, but he is not the ideal second option like Beal was to Wall.
These two conflicting issues have been hindering the team for years now. They made the playoffs with Russell Westbrook in the 2020-21 season, but they still were an under .500 team and lost 4-1 to the Sixers in the first round. However, that team never had any real aspirations to win a championship.
The team has made some strides in the right direction this offseason, trading for former Denver guard Monte Morris and forward Will Barton. Morris will likely be the new starting point guard, and Barton brings in wing depth and has a chance to start too. They also signed guard Delon Wright, bringing in some more depth for the guard position. Unfortunately, despite the good that Sheppard has done this offseason, he has done equally bad.
Signing Beal to a super-max contract is one thing but including a no-trade clause is another. It ties their hands if they ever consider rebuilding the team. So the Wizards are stuck with Beal, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but as long as general manager Tommy Sheppard keeps making these lackluster roster moves, the team could be stuck in NBA purgatory for a long time.
