Depth Perception
Daniel Gafford (21) walks near the free throw line as the Wizards defeat the Grizzlies 102-92 | retrieved from nba.com/wizards
At the time of writing this article, the Washington Wizards are on a four-game winning streak, and that’s without franchise player Bradley Beal. To casual Wizards observers, this is a fluke, a phenomenon, and/or something that should just be impossible. But as someone who’s been closely following the development of Washington’s younger core/bench,
I wouldn’t call this an anomaly. I call it growth and maybe a sign of the times. I don’t want to use this article to peddle the idea that the Wizards are stronger without Beal simply because I don’t know if that’s true. What I want to do instead is dispel the notion that the Wizards had to step up in his absence and prove that the team is talented even without Beal.
That said, welcome to a crash course on the Washington Wizards’ younger core, their bench, and the other two members of the big three that deserve some time in the spotlight.
Jordan Goodwin (G), currently on a two-way contract between the Wizards and the Capital City Go-Go (Washington’s G-League affiliate), was instrumental in the win that started the four-game streak.
In Washington’s defeat against Charlotte (108-100), Goodwin had a perfect game and scored 17 points, picking up five assists and four rebounds. He also won the Wizards’ Defensive Player of the Game award for his defensive strength and speed. Goodwin has been getting meaningful minutes since the Wizards took on the Celtics on October 30.
With each game, he’s shown high levels of intelligence and capability on the offensive and defensive end. For example, on November 13, when the Wizards defeated the Grizzlies 102-92, Goodwin guarded Steven Adams so efficiently that Adams himself was impressed.
Promoted during Beal’s absence, Corey Kispert (G) has flourished in his role as a starter. In the Wizards’ win against the Utah Jazz on November 12 (121-112), Kispert also had a perfect game from the field, scoring 18 points and getting two assists and three rebounds. Kispert made his season debut on November 4 after a preseason ankle injury kept him sidelined, bringing much-needed speed and consistent three-point shooting to the Wizards’ offense. It took a few games for his shot to come back in full effect, but his speed and playmaking were promising from his debut.
Beal is more than likely to return to the starting lineup upon his November 16 return, but I hope to see the continued speed and three-point shooting from Kispert regardless of whether he starts.
Rui Hachimura (F) is the Wizards’ best player under 25, according to Bleacher Report, and with good reason. Hachimura is one of the most consistent shooters on the team, especially from midrange, and is especially quick when driving to the rim to assist or dunk the ball.
In the Wizards’ 113-105 win against the Dallas Mavericks on November 10, Hachimura set a season-high of 23 points and got eight rebounds. His confidence has been on an upward trajectory since preseason, and he consistently leads the Wizards’ bench in scoring. Other teams around the league are taking note of this as well, and Memphis’ defense was overall successful in their attempts to keep Hachimura from scoring on the 13th.
Originally I hadn’t planned on discussing the Wizards’ starting forwards, Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija, but in light of their recent performances, it would be a waste not even to mention them.
Avdija has been flourishing over the past week. It took him some time to find his rhythm offensively, but in the Wizards’ most recent win on the 13th, Avdija tied his career high of 21 points and set a season-high for himself for the third time in three games.
In fact, he set a season-high for himself before the second half of the game even started. And in the Wizards’ victory against the Mavericks, Hachimura and Kuzma combined to score 59 points. It’s not unreasonable to expect a higher standard of play from Kuzma, both because he’s part of the Wizards’ big three and because he won an NBA Championship with the Lakers, but Kuzma has been delivering.
Playing through a non-COVID illness, Kuzma scored 36 points against the Mavericks and 23 points against the Jazz in the next game. So just based on that, I would say it’s well worth listening to Kuzma’s suggestion to direct the offense through him.
A case can even be made to run the offense through Kuzma, Avdija, Hachimura, and Kispert together. The four of them as individuals have a high basketball IQ, but together they have really strong chemistry on the floor and make intelligent assists to and from each other. Hachimura and Goodwin have also proven to be strong when they’re in a closing lineup together, regardless of who else is around them.
I also want to give shoutouts to Kristaps Porzingis (F/C), who has been playing like the unicorn he was nicknamed to be and averaging 20.5 points per game, and Daniel Gafford (F/C) for his aggressive blocking and dunks, as they’re two more players who give the Wizards’ roster strength.
