The Washington Gambit
The Washington Wizards have a roster problem.
I spent a good portion of the offseason concerned about the lack of balance on the team because while the Wizards have depth, it's at the expense of a more balanced roster. Most of the Wizards' depth is found in their offense, which also presents issues when building a starting lineup. For example, Kyle Kuzma (F) and Rui Hachimura (F) are both competent power forwards, but it doesn't make sense to have both of them start at the same time when they play the same position.
Of course, fans have their own ideas of what a team's starting five should look like, and I'm no different (although I've liked the starting five that opened the regular season). I also understand that it could take a few games to determine the best lineup based on who's available, what the opposing team's roster looks like, etc. But I still have my own ideas, which is why I'm going to use the pieces on a chessboard, and three different chess openings, to determine how the Wizards should best start their games.
There are 16 pieces on either side of a chessboard, but not every piece will participate in an opening, a move to start a chess game. In a similar fashion, only five players on a team's roster are present on the floor at the same time.
Here are three chess openings that could be replicated on the basketball court:
This isn't an aggressive chess opening (which is why it's perfect for the Wizards, a team that's not particularly aggressive), but it sets up opportunities for the side that opens and leaves little time for the other side to prepare. On the chessboard, you'd move the pawn in front of your left knight forward one space, leaving room for your left bishop to start moving across the board.
By moving the pawn in front of the queen two spaces forward, the queen, queen's-side bishop, and even the king have the space to advance forward or diagonally. It's also not an aggressive opening to a chess game, but it can be the start of increasing the pressure on the opposite side.
The Wizards could use this opening to create space for offensive pressure from the frontcourt, and assuming Kristaps Porzingis (F-C) represents the king in this analogy (the king only moves one space at a time, and Porzingis isn't the fastest on the team), he has space to make a shot from three or come in a little closer to the rim if needed.
Kristaps Porzingis (6) taking off as the Wizards secure their first win of the NBA Season | photo retrieved from nba.com
The most aggressive chess opening, the starting player moves the pawn in front of the king two spaces forward and creates space for the queen, king's-side bishop, and the king to advance forward or diagonally. It also gives the starting player clear control of the chessboard.
If the Wizards are looking to make a stronger push to the rim, modeling a more aggressive chess opening would be the way to do so. This could be followed up by moving a queen or a bishop diagonally, continuing to advance on the other side. Then, Bradley Beal (G) could seize an open opportunity to make a layup or capture a piece as the queen or bishop.
These openings involve strategic pawn placement to make room for other pieces to move more freely, pawns representing the backcourt. Translating basketball to chess might also be difficult and confusing, but strategy is at the core of both games.
And as long as the Wizards have some form of strategy for the rest of the season, I think even the most passionate fans will be happy.
