Even in the last game before the all-star break, the Washington Wizards were so close. In Toronto, trying to win its third consecutive game and finally beat the Raptors, Washington lost by two points. DeMar DeRozan pivoted, wound his way around Paul Pierce and guided in a midrange shot with 16 seconds to play. Twice, John Wall had shots afterward — one to tie it, one to win it — and neither were quality looks, and neither went in.
That’s what the 54 games before the all-star break were like for the Wizards: tight. Washington outscored its opponents by just 2.4 points per game. Large leads often were not held — including a 10-point lead in the final game against the Raptors. It was unable to defeat Toronto or the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks in six combined tries.
Still, the Wizards finished 33-21, giving them their most pre-all-star break wins since the 1978-79 season, when they won 54 games. They are fourth in the Eastern Conference, which is a spot that does not project to playoff longevity. Even if the Wizards were to win a first-round matchup, which, today, would be against the resurgent Cleveland Cavaliers, they would have to play the top-seeded Hawks in the conference semifinals.
The Wizards will reconvene Thursday. On Friday, they wade back into the schedule with a nationally televised home game against Cleveland and LeBron James. Here are five storylines to watch for as the Wizards move into and through the remaining 28 games:
What will they add?
Since cutting Glen Rice Jr. on Jan. 8, the Wizards have had an open roster spot. They have been attached to a handful of names, most of them point guards. Among them is Will Bynum, who currently plays for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. Bynum has played parts of seven seasons in the NBA, six of those with the Detroit Pistons. He’s small at 6 feet, speedy and not a particularly good 3-point shooter.
Veteran point guard Jameer Nelson has also been mentioned. Nelson has not played well this season during his time in Dallas or with his current team, the Denver Nuggets, though his 3-point shooting could be a benefit.
The Phoenix Suns are reportedly considering trading point guard Goran Dragic — who would be the answer to so many of the Wizards’ issues — but Washington does not have a sensible and potent package to offer the Suns for the lefty.
No matter who they bring in, the Wizards need to add athleticism. Overall, their lack of team speed is a glaring detriment when playing the league’s upper tier.
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m.
Can they get more efficiency, and health, from Bradley Beal?
Beal, the startng shooting guard, missed the final three games before the all-star break because of a mild stress reaction in his lower right fibula. He missed the first nine games of the season because of a wrist injury.
In between, Beal has not moved forward from last season. His player efficiency rating has dipped from 14.3 to 13.8 — the league average is 15.0, and he was at 13.6 in his rookie year — though both his field goal (42.3) and 3-point (43.6) percentages are both slightly up. Where Beal is being hurt is in his shot selection. He put together a utopian shot chart Jan. 31 in a home game against the Raptors when he scored 26 points. Beal shot 10 3-pointers and made five. He took six more shots deep in the paint and made four. He took one midrange shot — a 13-foot baseline jumper — that he missed.
Why is this how Beal wants to approach offense? Because he’s tied for seventh in the league in 3-point shooting percentage, he shoots 64.3 percent from 0-3 feet, and he’s a bricklaying 28.1 percent from 10-16 feet.
Beal has also struggled on defense. He is 45th out of 98 shooting guards in real defensive plus-minus. As a point of comparison, defensive specialist and teammate Garrett Temple is seventh in the league. No stat is perfect, but Beal has the ability to be better than the middle part of the pack in one of the most valued defensive metrics.
Will they stay healthy?
It’s not just Beal who has missed games or is managing pain. Wall has repeatedly sprained his right ankle. Pierce has managed an ongoing toe issue. Power forward Nene at times looked springy, at others worn. He’s had knee problems and plantar fasciitis. Backup power forward Kris Humphries went into the all-star break with a sore lower back after a thundering fall Feb. 9 against the Orlando Magic.
Despite the youth of the 24-year-old Wall and 21-year-old Beal, the Wizards have the oldest roster in the league by average age, just ahead of the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers. The 32-year-old Nene may be the key for the Wizards. He’s missed nine games this season and has not played a full season in five years. The good news for the Wizards, is that Nene is already within 12 of the most games he has started since joining the team for the 2011-12 season. He’s already matched last season’s total of 37 starts.
Bench consistency
Early in the season, Rasual Butler’s story of emergence was one of the enjoyable talking points around the Wizards. The friendly Butler had made the team as its final member, then provided crucial and on-point 3-point shooting. He cooled significantly in January, when his 3-point percentage dipped to 32.7 percent before yanking it back to 38.1 percent to start February.
Center Kevin Seraphin has the ability to dominate certain matchups on offense, and, at times, he did. Other times, he would swiftly get into foul trouble — particularly when on the move against high pick-and-rolls — and have to be removed from the game in less than five minutes.
The fluctuations of Butler and Seraphin are a microcosm of the bench as a whole. Coach Randy Wittman has used multiple rotations and continues to tinker with playing time despite 66 percent of the season being complete.
Martell Webster may be a sleeper solution, though Wittman seems loathe to put Webster on the floor. Webster played just 8.5 minutes per game in the Wizards’ last 10 games. He is yet to find a rhythm or Wittman’s faith after returning from back surgery.
What does Pierce have left?
Before the season, Wittman wouldn’t speculate about Pierce’s minutes, saying they would be managed on feel. Pierce played 51 of the 54 games before the break, spending a career-low 26.8 minutes per game on the floor. He’s still effective. Pierce hit multiple late-game shots, which prompts him to remind onlookers that is what he came to Washington for, and his efficiency rating is a solid 15.75.
As the season winds down, the more time they can rest Pierce before the playoffs, the better for him and the team.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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