The season is finally over! This year was a rollercoaster ride full of trades, injuries, highs, and lows, but it ends with the Wizards finishing with the 6th worst record in the NBA. It is tough to see the positives right now but firing Ernie Grunfeld and having a good pick in a loaded draft class has quickly changed my feeling as a fan from trapped to excited. Before we dive into outlook, let’s talk last 12 games briefly.
Last 12 Games of the Season
The Wizards finished the season on a 2-12 stretch which landed them the 6th worst record in the league. Most of this stretch was used to get young guys more action as Troy Brown jr. was inserted into the starting lineup and played 30 mpg in the last 10. Also, Jordan McRae received an average of 20.9 mpg in the 7 games he played in, and Thomas Bryant was reinserted into the starting lineup for the final 10 games of the season.
All 3 of these young players showed promising capabilities. McRae displayed his abilities as a scorer posting 9.9 ppg off of the bench. He needs to become a better outside shooter, but he is adept at getting to the basket and scoring off the bounce. Back in his starting role, Thomas Bryant did not disappoint as he averaged a double-double in his last 10 games posting 16.6 ppg and 10.2 rpg. Last but not least, Troy Brown confirmed why he deserved to be a first-round pick. There was a lot of chatter all over social media by fans running his name through the mud because the 19-year-old hadn’t shown them enough apparently. He quieted a lot of this talk when he went in to Denver, while the Nuggets were fighting for the top seed in the West, and put up 24 points and 7 rebounds on 9/16 from the floor and 5/7 from 3. Here is a link to the highlights below:
Brown has a relatively smooth jump shot that needs more reps, a great understanding for the game, and he can play/guard multiple positions on the floor. I am excited to see how these young guys develop in the future, and I really think that Bryant and Brown are going to be very nice pieces in this league.
Ernie Finally Got Fired
On April 2, 2019, a lot of Wizards fans, right or wrong, rejoiced because the Wizards fired Ernie Grunfeld. Let’s take a quick look at some of the things Ernie has done in his tenure as Wizards GM…
Under Ernie Grunfeld, the Wizards never made it past the 2nd-round of the playoffs and had an overall record of 568-724. He did some positive things like draft Bradley Beal, John Wall, and Otto Porter. He also traded one of the biggest busts in NBA history, Kwame Brown, for Caron Butler who ended up making 2 all-star teams as a Washington Wizard. This year, Ernie Grunfeld signed diamond in the rough Thomas Bryant who looks to be a solid, young pick up, and he traded Otto Porter at the perfect time. In 16 years, the Wizards made the playoffs 8 times under Grunfeld’s guidance, and I will admit there was excitement in the nation’s capital at times. There are other positive moves we could look at, but Grunfeld never did anything spectacular that showed he had an innate talent for being a GM.
Unfortunately, the downfalls of the Grunfeld era way outweigh the few positives we can point to, and that is why the Wizards have struggled so mightily. In 2009, Grunfeld sent away the 5th overall pick for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, both of whom were no longer members of the team after one season. 2 years later in 2011, the Wizards wasted both of their first-round picks on Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton, both of whom were out of the league after 2014. In 2017, Grunfeld sent away a first-round pick at the trade deadline to get Bojan Bogdanovic as fire power to chase an ECF. The Wizards ended up losing to the Celtics in 7 games in the 2nd-round and Bojan was on the Pacers the next season…
Overall, Ernie did some good things and some bad things, but definitely made way more head scratching moves than ones worth applauding. He inexcusably traded away first-round picks for role players time and time again and whiffed in the draft way too often to justify keeping him for the entirety of these past 16 years. It was time for a change, and I commend Ted Leonsis for moving in a new direction.
Offseason to Do List
1) Hire a new GM
In deciding who to hire to be the next GM, the most important question to ask each candidate would be: how do you plan to bring the Wizards back to being a consistent playoff team even with a 28-year-old John Wall who will be coming off a torn Achilles on a super-max contract?
2) Do NOT draft a Center or a PG.
The Wizards will have a very good pick in this draft, and no matter how high or low their pick is, I am in firm belief now is not the time to draft a PG or a Center. John Wall is going to be under contract for the next 4 years making around $42.5 million a year, so there is no reason to draft Ja Morant if the Wizards somehow beat the odds and get the second overall pick. That would just create tension with John Wall and tie up more money in the PG position. For the Center position, the Wizards are going to have to pay a constantly fouling, injury prone Ian Mahinmi $15 million next season, and also have to pay Dwight Howard coming off of lower back surgery $5 million assuming he picks up his player option. On top of this, I believe that the 21-year-old, Thomas Bryant, earned another contract for next year based on what we have seen from him thus far. He plays with a high motor, can shoot the 3, and will only improve on what he showed this year. So, if the Wizards resign Bryant, that would make 3 centers under contract at around $25 million combined for next season, and I do not believe drafting Jaxson Hayes, the number 1 center prospect, is a better option right now with all of the good SG, SF, and PF in this draft.
3) My top 2 draft candidates for the Wizards assuming they get the 6th pick
1) De’Andre Hunter
De’Andre Hunter, 6’7″ SF from UVA, is a very likely draft candidate for the Washington Wizards this year. His draft stock soared due to his performance in the NCAA tournament, and he capped it off with a great national championship performance scoring 27 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, hitting 4 threes, and leading his team to a victory. Hunter did not take many 3s per game in college, which will have to change in the NBA, but he hit 38% of his shots from beyond the arc and hit 78% of his free throws. The free throw percentage tells me that he will be able to hit his 3s when he shoots them at a higher clip. He is also a very good on ball defender which the Wizards could always use another one of, and I think his IQ is off the charts. He does not turn the ball over, he knows when and where to cut, and he seldom forces anything. He is a solid athlete with a good midrange game, but really needs to improve his ball handling so that he can play out on the perimeter and burst by people to create easier shots around the rim.
2) Cam Reddish
Cam Reddish, the 6’8″ forward from Duke, had an up and down freshman year but has an incredibly high ceiling. When Zion went down with his injuries, Reddish really stepped up his game. His biggest strengths are his silky-smooth jump shot, his ball handling, and his length. He can shoot the 3, get to the basket, and has the length to bother whoever he is guarding, but he needs to improve his finishing around the basket/get stronger, and get better at keeping his guy in front of him on defense with his feet rather than trying to rely on his length.
I would also like the Wizards to look at Rui Hachimura, the PF from Gonzaga, and Texas Tech’s SG Jarret Culver. I will discuss the draft and other draft options more once I know what pick the Wizards have, but right now am just very excited to see what pick the Wizards get. I am also undecided to what I would like the front office to do in regard to Bradley Beal. It may be time to hit a full rebuild and trade him for picks, young players, and expiring contracts. However, Beal is only 25, he is playing the best basketball of his career, and says he wants to always be in a Wizards uniform giving hope that he will resign when his contract is up. I will give an opinion on what direction I think the team should go in regard to Beal after the draft.
4)Decline Parker’s Player Option and Find Ways to Resign Bryant, Ariza, Portis, and Sato
It is no secret that Jabari Parker is not worth $20 million dollars a year, but he showed a lot of good things after being traded to the Wizards. No matter what, the Wizards should decline his $20 million player option for next season, but they could still resign him for cheaper if he is open to it and see how he produces. I would not sign him for anything over $13 million, so if he will not take less than that, the front office should let him walk, but he is only 24 and has talent. If he continues to play above the rim, play hard defense, and push the pace off of rebounds, he could be a valuable trade asset down the line if nothing else on a smaller contract.
I already explained why Bryant should be resigned… this is a no brainer.
In regard to Ariza, the Wizards could’ve gotten a good return out of him at the trade deadline, but there was a mutual interest in him resigning here for next season apparently. I was all for it at the time, and I hope nothing has changed just because Grunfeld is fired. Ariza is a good, veteran leader for young guys, can shoot, and play defense. On top of that, the Wizards could always get good value for him at the trade deadlined next year if need-be because any western conference team in contention drools over a long 3-point shooter like Ariza.
I like Bobby Portis’ game because he is 6’10”, plays with reckless abandon, can shoot the 3 at a high clip, and is deceptively crafty. He also should not be that expensive to resign at the end of the day. If he does not cost too much, I would love for the Wizards to look at resigning Portis on a short-term deal because of what I mentioned before, and he is also only 24 years old.
Sato might cost a decent amount of money after what he has shown over the last couple of years with Wall getting hurt, but I think there is a mutual interest in him coming back. He is smart, steadily improving, lengthy for defense, and the Wizards are going to need a serviceable PG with Wall being hurt for most of next year. He is so unselfish, and I think it would be greatly beneficial for the team’s other young players and this summer’s draft pick to play with a smart, unselfish floor general like Sato next season.
Another season is down, and I hope you all feel more excited about the future and the development of this team now than you did a few weeks ago! I cannot wait for the draft to arrive, so stay tuned for a more in-depth draft post when I know what pick the Wizards have.
As always, feel free to tweet your questions and comments to me @BoosBulletsBlog!
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