Chocolate City Jordanaire wrote:https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/boxscore/2019-03-31/Washington-at-Denver/309944
docklinkin, and others more composed/intelligent than I; please study the box score and do your best to extrapolate possibilities moving forward. I'm CONVINCED with better coaching this Wizards team SHOULD HAVE 45 wins or more. That they do not doesn't matter this season.
This team needs to be a defensive stalwart, foremost.
Bradley Beal is a great leader (but I'd still trade him, for the right package, to a team that will win now).
Here's my thing. I don't really think we can really build or re-build in any accelerated time frame. So as far as I'm concerned might as well field a team that is fun to watch. I have enjoyed this squad this year once it was clear we were not going to win much. The development of our youth is exciting. I wish we had given the young cats more run, but Brooks I think was coaching to try to save Ernie's job, because any new GM tends to like to clean house and put his own guy in.
As for defensive stalwarts: we don't really have the personnel. We have no interior stopper, no reliable rebounding, no on-ball pressure guy, and lack a mistake eraser.
But we can score with anybody. That's been fun to watch. Ball movement, high energy uptempo, willingness to attack. I liked Otto for his efficiency, but have to admit its been exciting watching the BOOM/BUST results of Jabari Parker. It's been nice having a guy off the bench who is willing to try to force the action and is in attack attack attack mode all the time even if the results are upsydownsy.
I wish we had seen more of Troy Brown this year. And Jordan Mccrae. And Sam Dekker. And Thomas Bryant, earlier. And Devin Robinson. And even Bobby Portis instead of Ariza/Green. If this was a developmental year for them it would not have felt as disheartening. It was not even a wasted year for Brad REAL who used the time to make the team his own and develop his leadership outlook. He's only 25, is still growing as a player himself, and may still be at the peak of his skill by the time we collect enough talent to contend. I wouldn't hate a year of youth and mistakes and earning high picks while the youngsters grow into their own.
Any team is one or two players away if they get lucky in the right year and draft well. Even with John hobbled and acting as a house arrest bracelet on our cap while he heals up. Zion dreams make me grin. And teams that do not land that top player in the right year are unlikely to contend anyway, so might as well build a team that is fun to cheer for.
I think its reasonable that we retain Bryant, Dekker, Sato, Mccrae. We may lose Satoransky to a winning team, since if he is going to be a back up it might as well be on a high level squad. I'd kinda like to keep Parker if we could but mostly for the entertainment factor. He will get offers we can't match. Probably. But maybe he's tired of bouncing around, maybe we get a discount. Doubt it though.
Portis has posted high stat games, while giving up a ton at the other end. He's fun to watch on offense, and offense still seems to be the side of the ball that gets you paid, he's similarly due a significant raise and priced out of our team.
Still, for all that we dog Ernie, and rightly so, someone in the front office has found us intriguing talent that at least puts an enjoyable product on the floor, win or lose. So. If we had another year like this one, but drafted well and intentionally played our youth, and earned another high lotto pick, me as a fan, I'm content with that. And yeah with a new GM and forward thinking coaching, sure, this could be a better team. Why not.
