This past offseason, the NBA world was surprised to see that three-time All-Star Bradley Beal had re-signed with the Washington Wizards for five years and $251 million, and had opted out of his player option to do so. His loyalty to the franchise has been respected throughout the league, but in the 10 seasons since being drafted third overall by the team in 2012, he‘s only made postseason appearances 50% of the time, three of which Washington made the second round. With former 2010 number one pick John Wall being injured and then eventually traded, Beal became the man of DC, but still not much progress was reached. His newfound belief and commitment might be the spark the Wizards need to reach the next level in a changing and more competitive eastern conference.
Their 2022-23 preseason campaign began in Tokyo, Japan with back to back preseason contests against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, who were coming off defeating the Boston Celtics in six games in last year’s NBA Finals.
On Sept 30th, the Wizards took a 87-96 loss to the Warriors to kick off the Japan games. Fourth year forward from Japan Rui Hachimura led the team with 13 points and nine rebounds while newcomer guard from the Denver Nuggets Monte Morris led the team with five assists. For the Warriors, second year center James Weisman led with 20 points and nine rebounds, while second year forward Jonathan Kuminga had three assists.
On Oct 2nd, the Wizards took a 104-95 loss to the Warriors to finish the series 0-2. Forward Kristaps Porzingus (who came over in the trade from Dallas last season) led the team with 18 points, Rui Hachimura with 10 rebounds, and newcomer forward/guard Delon Wright from Atlanta with six assists. For the Warriors, 14-year veteran guard Stephen Curry led with 17 points, center Kevon Looney with seven rebounds, and forward Draymond Green with five assists.
On October 10th, the Wizards returned to the states to play the Charlotte Hornets on the road. The team got their first win as Kristaps Porzingis again led with 20 points, center Dainel Gafford with seven rebounds, and Monte Morris with seven assists. For the Hornets, guard Terry Rosier led with 24 points, 2nd year center Nick Richards with eight rebounds, and 3rd year guard Lamelo Ball with three assists.
Washington then closed out their preseason 1-3, as they took a 105-89 loss in New York at the Knicks on Oct 14th. Rui Hachimura reclaimed his dominance with 20 points and eight rebounds, while team leader and 11 year veteran guard Bradley Beal chipped in with five assists. For the Knicks, newcomer guard from Dallas Jalen Brunson led with a dominant 27 points and five assists, while center Mitchell Robinson got 12 rebounds.
The Wizards opened up the regular season of 2022-23 with an away matchup with the Indiana Pacers, and a home opener vs the Chicago Bulls.
At Indiana, the Wizards beat the Pacers 114-107. Bradley Beal led with 23 points, five rebounds, and six assists on 9-17 shooting and 2-7 from 3. The Wizards as a team shot 45% from the field, 35% from 3 and 45% from the free throw line. Overall, Washington played a great opening game, but failed to keep an 18 point 3rd quarter lead, only winning by 7.
Against Chicago, the Wizards beat the Bulls 102-100 narrowly. Kyle Kuzma led with 26 points, six rebounds, and two assists on 8-16 shooting and 4-8 from 3. The Wizards as a team shot 51% from the field, 38% from 3 and a whopping 90% from the free throw line. Overall, Washington played a dominant game early, and it showed as their defense provided their biggest lead of the game 71-54 in Q3, but were not able to keep it, as the final score shows.
Overall, the Washington Wizards are a deeper and more balanced team this season compared to last. Acquiring Monte Morris and Will Barton from the Nuggets gives them added depth and two new capable starting caliber players. Combine that with established stars like Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingus and Kyle Kuzma, and recent draftees like Rui Hachimura, Deni Adjvia, Corey Kispert and Johnny Davis. The Wizards have the makeup of an up and coming franchise, just starting to earn its wings since the fall of the John Wall era of the late 2010s. At least one of those four first round picks is gonna have to step up big time and turn into at least a year-round all star for the team to reach the east semifinals and beyond.
If healthy, the Wizards can be a dark horse candidate for the 8th-6th seeds in the east and at the very least will be in the play-in tournament next spring. Bradley Beal was quoted as saying he wanted to see growth and development as an organization if he was gonna commit long term before signing his 2-year extension in 2020. Hopefully, they can build off their first round loss to Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2021 playoffs, when Beal recorded a career high 60 points in that series. Record aside, the team showed flashes of what could be in the 2022 preseason, and with Beal having secured his financial future for the time being, his motivation is higher than ever.
Finally, one of the main setbacks that nagged Washington last year was their lack of apparent effort on the defensive side of the ball. They ranked in the bottom 10 teams in terms of defensive efficiency in the NBA. They have a good offensive system that works and can hold with the best of anyone, but with no defense, they won’t go far. Their overall goal should be to be a top 15 defensive team in the league and a top 15 offensive team. It will have to be a collective effort, as the team doesn’t seem to have a true defensive anchor. That role could be filled by Kristaps Porzingus, but that has yet to be seen so far.
If all these things come into play, Washington could have its most promising season to date, and fans can finally have the posteason to cheer about.
Written by Owen Lomotan of Thomas S. Wootton High School