Line-ups, rotation, analysis thread.

[tleikheen]

Barton will probably start tonight alongside Morris and Wiz fans will start seeing why they were traded out of Denver. This narrative of Barton being a microwave scorer when he put uo 14 ppg in 32 mpg last year and 12ppg in 31 mpg the yr before is not a microwave scorer ,far from it.He's a volume shooter . I think his role should be as the backup to Beal. We're likely to see Lamelo have a big game against Morris when they're on each other. Too big ,too fast for Morris to handle.
The strength of the Wiz should be emphasized ..... the frontline of KP ,Gaff,Kuz,Hachimura and Avidja.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

But back to the thread topic. With Beal, Deni, and Kispert out we look like:

Morris - Wright -- Devon Dotson
Barton -Johnny D -- Jordan Shakel --Jordan Goodwin
Rui --- Quenton Jackson
Kuzma - AG -- Taj? Makur Maker?
Zinger -Gafford -Taj

A lot of minutes available for Quenton Jackson, Devon Dotson, Jordan Doodwin, and Makur Maker to make a case for the final 2 way slot.

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My outlandish opinions:

1. No offense to Johnny Davis, however, I still say as I did before summer league that IMI DEVON DOTSON is better. I do consider Johnny as having back and knee tendinitis issues. Dotson has been good since his NCAA and G-League days.

2. I would rather the Wizards totally tanked with both Jordan Shakel and Jordan Goodwin at SG. Players like Danuel House, Gary Payton Jr, Seth Curry, Jalen Brunson each had to overcome roster numbers games because of guaranteed deals; many on rookies who never pan out.

Shakel and Goodwin are definitely NBA rotation caliber players, but how are they more than cam fodder?

3. I agree with you, doclinkin, on Makur! He’s got the tools. Honestly, the fact we have all this length with a dude like Marcin Gortat training them; I AM EXCITED to have all the injuries we do.

I don’t need to see one ball dominating SG.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Quenton Jackson!?!?

I’m off to compare his NCAA stats to those of Tari Eason.

[mhd]

Barton is balling out there. KP with two threes to start.

[queridiculo]

Quenton Jackson!?!?

I’m off to compare his NCAA stats to those of Tari Eason.

Looked better than our lottery pick #soWizards

[SUPERBALLMAN]

As far as our lineup once the season gets going I hope Rui starts.

I like the idea of Rui & Kuz together. With Porzingis out on the perimeter, I like having Rui with his midrange game and rebounding inside. I like the ability of Rui and Kuz to rotate and be interchangeable defensively.

I really like Barton off the bench. He would be the leader of that unit with his IQ and motor. I love the 2nd unit with Wright's high intensity defense at PG, Kispert's shooting and constant moving & cutting at SG, Barton bringing the offense at SF, Deni with the lockdown D and passing at PF, and Gafford protecting the rim and throwing it down in the middle. This IS a unit that will come in with a purpose. They will play with energy and defense. They will run, they will turn it over, and they will score. This is a unit that will come in and give us a boost, and IMO would really compliment the starting 5 of Morris, Beal, Kuzma, Rui, KP.

[doclinkin]

As far as our lineup once the season gets going I hope Rui starts.

I like the idea of Rui & Kuz together. With Porzingis out on the perimeter, I like having Rui with his midrange game and rebounding inside. I like the ability of Rui and Kuz to rotate and be interchangeable defensively.

I really like Barton off the bench. He would be the leader of that unit with his IQ and motor. I love the 2nd unit with Wright's high intensity defense at PG, Kispert's shooting and constant moving & cutting at SG, Barton bringing the offense at SF, Deni with the lockdown D and passing at PF, and Gafford protecting the rim and throwing it down in the middle. This IS a unit that will come in with a purpose. They will play with energy and defense. They will run, they will turn it over, and they will score. This is a unit that will come in and give us a boost, and IMO would really compliment the starting 5 of Morris, Beal, Kuzma, Rui, KP.

Personally I'd rather pair Rui with Deni than Kuz, when possible. Especially if Morris is sharing the court. We need a plus defender in that line-up there more than a do-everything-but-none-of-it-great utility player. I do like your 2nd line though so its hard to figure. I figure with that starting line we will fall behind in high intensity low-efficiency shootouts, then send in the defensive 2nd unit to try to climb back into the game.

I also think Beal/KP/Morris would do well with Deni as a screener and secondary playmaker. And Rui + Deni was a better +/- combo than any other player Rui shared the court with. But yeah it seems a forgone conclusion we are rolling with Kuz in the starting line-up, so we will see. I think Rui will take that starting job, so Wes has one of his guys in the 2nd unit. Barton.

[payitforward]

Quenton Jackson!?!?
I’m off to compare his NCAA stats to those of Tari Eason.

I'm a big fan of Jackson -- but his college numbers don't compare to Eason's.

[payitforward]

Quenton Jackson!?!?

I’m off to compare his NCAA stats to those of Tari Eason.

Looked better than our lottery pick #soWizards

Johnny Davis was a better college player than Quenton Jackson. Better as a sophomore than Jackson was as a junior.

Davis also played against tougher competition than Jackson did.

OTOH, Jackson was by far the better scorer. In fact, Johnny was not a particularly good scorer in college. He did score just over 23 points per 40 minutes, but that reflected the fact that he took a lot of shots & got to the line a lot. His TS% was .523 as a Sophomore; that's pretty low.

Jackson produced @ 2/3 of a point less than Davis, but it took him 4 fewer FGAs to get his points. His TS% was .612 -- outstanding for a guard!

But, as Zards has pointed out, Jackson is almost 3 & 1/2 years older than Johnny Davis. In short, there is no particular reason to compare them. It doesn't shed light on anything.

While we're on the topic (i.e. totally off-topic!), the guy who didn't get drafted & I just can't figure out why is Keon Ellis.

He's between Jackson & Davis in age, & he put up outstanding numbers last year -- better than either of these guys & against tougher competition than either of them too. He's on a 2way contract w/ Sacramento.

[dckingsfan]

Spoiler:

Quenton Jackson!?!?

I’m off to compare his NCAA stats to those of Tari Eason.

Looked better than our lottery pick #soWizards

Johnny Davis was a better college player than Quenton Jackson. Better as a sophomore than Jackson was as a junior.

Davis also played against tougher competition than Jackson did.

OTOH, Jackson was by far the better scorer. In fact, Johnny was not a particularly good scorer in college. He did score just over 23 points per 40 minutes, but that reflected the fact that he took a lot of shots & got to the line a lot. His TS% was .523 as a Sophomore; that's pretty low.

Jackson produced @ 2/3 of a point less than Davis, but it took him 4 fewer FGAs to get his points. His TS% was .612 -- outstanding for a guard!

But, as Zards has pointed out, Jackson is almost 3 & 1/2 years older than Johnny Davis. In short, there is no particular reason to compare them. It doesn't shed light on anything.

While we're on the topic (i.e. totally off-topic!), the guy who didn't get drafted & I just can't figure out why is Keon Ellis.

He's between Jackson & Davis in age, & he put up outstanding numbers last year -- better than either of these guys & against tougher competition than either of them too. He's on a 2way contract w/ Sacramento.

Thread hijacking at its best

Do you think we learned anything about Wes' line-ups, rotations or schemas from the preseason games?

[Tyrone Messby]

Is Davis even NBA ready? That's a serious question. His preseason stats aren't even G League worthy.

[BruceO]

Is Davis even NBA ready? That's a serious question. His preseason stats aren't even G League worthy.

Watch on YouTube

heres long footage from his college days broken down into actions from a guy wos youtube channel gets too few views. Was not a quick hitter scorer imo. Needed to have the ball in his hands more and i guess thats where this him at pg experiment is coming from. We'll see but i liked guys like tari and jalen better. My theory is the front office wanted to move up or out but the possibilities were pricey and teams were asking for Rui or Deni. Im not impressed but we'll see. It'll take time

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Is Davis even NBA ready? That's a serious question. His preseason stats aren't even G League worthy.

He can have as many FGAs as defenses will allow.'

However, the FGMs might just be a way bit closer to ZERO than percent ...fiddy. FIFTY ... HELL foetee.... I'd be happy with 30


Johnny Davis.... GOD LOVES YOU and I'm an old man. YOU EARNED YOUR DRAFT STATUS... TAKE YOUR TIME...F all your critics esp and including me

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

His offense might be affected by back injuries, knee tendinitis, or at 20 he's KWAME all over again not ready but different.

SIMILARLY I bet his defense is closer than his offense.

[Tyrone Messby]

back injuries, knee tendinitis

Is he 20 or 35?

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

OMG. That footage made my eyes bleed. He showed nothing, nada, nil that should have coaxed dumb axe Tommy Boy to draft him.

Not an NBA player. Barely a G league player. If this franchise had any accountability, Shepard would be gone for this blunder alone.

[Dark Faze]

I don't see Rui getting that starting spot back. Kuz is the better defender and rebounder to the extent that Rui's generally lower usage but higher efficiency offense isn't going to counter it. And Deni is probably a top 5 perimeter defender in the league imo, and a better rebounder than Rui as well. With Beal/Kuz/KCP, Deni's offense can be hidden (if necessary, maybe he makes a leap on that side of the ball this year).

[nate33]

I don't see Rui getting that starting spot back. Kuz is the better defender and rebounder to the extent that Rui's generally lower usage but higher efficiency offense isn't going to counter it. And Deni is probably a top 5 perimeter defender in the league imo, and a better rebounder than Rui as well. With Beal/Kuz/KCP, Deni's offense can be hidden (if necessary, maybe he makes a leap on that side of the ball this year).

I was pleasantly surprised that Wes started Avdija in the first game of the season. I expected Rui would start because he had some pretty nice offensive numbers in preseason while Avdija didn't play at all; but it looks like Wes knows that Avdija is better.

I think it was pretty ominous for Rui that Wes started Gill in the 3rd quarter in place of the injured Avdija. It's looking like Wes is going to relegate Rui exclusively to the role of instant offense scorer on the 2nd unit because he doesn't trust Rui's b-ball IQ with the starters.

If Rui wants to start, he is going to have to play A LOT better.

[mhd]

I don't see Rui getting that starting spot back. Kuz is the better defender and rebounder to the extent that Rui's generally lower usage but higher efficiency offense isn't going to counter it. And Deni is probably a top 5 perimeter defender in the league imo, and a better rebounder than Rui as well. With Beal/Kuz/KCP, Deni's offense can be hidden (if necessary, maybe he makes a leap on that side of the ball this year).

I was pleasantly surprised that Wes started Avdija in the first game of the season. I expected Rui would start because he had some pretty nice offensive numbers in preseason while Avdija didn't play at all; but it looks like Wes knows that Avdija is better.

I think it was pretty ominous for Rui that Wes started Gill in the 3rd quarter in place of the injured Avdija. It's looking like Wes is going to relegate Rui exclusively to the role of instant offense scorer on the 2nd unit because he doesn't trust Rui's b-ball IQ with the starters.

If Rui wants to start, he is going to have to play A LOT better.

I think Wes knew he needed some firepower off the bench alongside Barton (with no Kispert & Davis unplayable, he needed someone as a threat when Beal was resting). Gill is a stable vet who doesn't need the ball in his hands and is always prepared to play. We just needed a guy who can hit open 3s and that is what Gill can do in a pinch.

[tleikheen]

It's looking like Wes is going to relegate Rui exclusively to the role of instant offense scorer on the 2nd unit because he doesn't trust Rui's b-ball IQ with the starters.

Such dog whistles on Ruis intelligence all the time. I choose to listen on all the praises coming out from his team mates on Rui's growth and it's easy to see what they're talking about . I havent seen anywhere anybody talking about their lack of trust playing with Rui because of his BBIQ ,arent those coaches who werent good enough to play themselves,the BBIQ guys.