Paul Brandley, a sportswriter from Maryland, takes a look at the Washington Wizards' upcoming season. He discusses the maturation of young talent like John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, and Glen Rice, Jr. along with veterans Marcin Gortat, Nene Hilario, and Trevor Ariza. He considers new acquisition Paul Pierce and what his championship pedigree brings to the team.

1. Washington Wizards 2014-
15 Season Preview
(updated)
by Paul Brandley

2. With the preseason set to begin on October 6th,
there’s lots to be excited about in the
Washington Wizards world. After an impressive
2013-2014 campaign that saw five players
average double figures in scoring, John Wall
average nearly nine assists and two steals per
game, and a first round playoff victory against
the Chicago Bulls, the Washington Wizards are
again set to make a run into the playoffs. Here’s
how:

3. DEFENSE
Last year, the Wizards ranked ninth in
points allowed, a nod to their defensive
ability at each position. Down low, Marcin
Gortat averaged a respectable 1.49 blocks
per game (9th among pure centers) while
Nêne averaged 1.2 steals per game. On
the perimeter, the Wizards are stacked
with young talent starting to play like NBA
stars. In addition to the aforementioned
two steals per game from John Wall,
Trevor Ariza and Bradley Beal have held
down the shooting guard position (both
averaged 1.5 steals in the postseason).
The athleticism of this bunch, especially
John Wall, makes it extremely to play a
two way game against them—opposing
players, after chasing and containing the
Wizards on defense, are simply too tired to
bring it to the Wizards’ defense.
Marçin
Gortat

4. OFFENSE
Offense has always come naturally for the
Wizards. John Wall has the speed to create a
shot every time the floor, Bradley Beal eats
corner threes for breakfast, lunch and dinner,
and Trevor Ariza has been one of the most
consistent shooting guards over the last ten
years. But what makes this group special is
that they haven’t even reached their potential.
Paul Brandley Washington Wizards John Wall
John Wall – Washington Wizards Point Guard
Sure, it’s easy to say that John Wall averages
19.9 points and 8.8 steals per game and that
should be good enough for him–not so. What
about those 3.6 turnovers per game? This was
a slight uptick from the 3.2 turnovers per game
that he averaged last year, so I think he can
not only get back to 3.2, but drop below 3
TOPG per game for the first time in his career.
That would be a huge boon to the Wizards,
who are secretly one of the better passing
teams in the league (Gortat and Nene are
underrated in this regard).
John
Wall

5. While Otto Porter and Glen Rice, Jr. didn’t
show us much last year–Glen Rice, Jr. played
in only eleven games–they looked great in this
year’s Las Vegas Summer League. If Otto
Porter can adapt his game to play as a
second- third- or even fourth-option on
offense, he can be one of the most versatile
players in the league. Also, if free agent
acquisition Paul Pierce can stay off the injured
list, he will be able to be their proven clutch-scorer,
in addition to their mature, veteran
presence.
WILDCARDS
Glen Rice,
Jr.

6. THANKS FOR VIEWING! IF
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CHECK OUT MY BLOG AT:
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