Official 2023 Wizards OFFSEASON Thread

FAH1223 · Post #1161 » by **FAH1223** » Sat Jul 15, 2023 11:09 pm

TGW · Post #1162 » by **TGW** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 5:13 am

These are the type of moves that turn mediocre franchises into perenial contenders. Keefe is our Phil Handy.

Frichuela · Post #1163 » by **Frichuela** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 6:59 am

TGW wrote:These are the type of moves that turn mediocre franchises into perenial contenders. Keefe is our Phil Handy.

Agreed. Feels good to see this franchise run by responsible adults…

DCZards · Post #1164 » by **DCZards** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 11:36 am

TGW wrote:These are the type of moves that turn mediocre franchises into perenial contenders. Keefe is our Phil Handy.

That’s what’s I’m talking about.

Jeff Van Grundy? Meh.

Post #1165 » by **nate33** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 1:46 pm

Read on Twitter

So he developed Durant, Harden and Westbrook while with the Thunder. We all know how that turned out.

He was there for Porzingis' rookie year in New York. He was only there for 1 year so it's hard to say how much credit he deserves for Porzingis' development.

He then moved on to LA where he joined rookie Brandon Ingram, rookie Ivaca Zubac, 2nd year D'Angelo Russell, 3rd year Julius Randle, and 3rd year Jordan Clarkson.

In 2017, they added Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Alex Caruso and signed 4-year vet KCP as a free agent. The other young guys from the 2016-17 season all stayed except D'Angelo Russell. They won 35 games that year with 5 of their top 7 in minutes played having an average age of 21.
* D'Angelo Russell went to Brooklyn, and one year later, made an All-Star game.

In Summer 2018, they added Lebron and subsequently started trading away their young talent for vets:
* Julius Randle was traded to New Orleans where be immediately started averaging 21 and 9 on a .600 TS%
* Clarkson was traded to Cleveland where he started and averaged 17 points per game.
* Zubac was traded to the Clippers where he became the starting center a year later.

In Summer 2019 they traded more young guys for Davis
* Ingram blew up in New Orleans and made the All-Star game his first season there.
* Ball started hitting 3's and became a defensive menace until injuries derailed him.
* Josh Hart became a very good role player.

The remaining young guys mentored by Keefe: Kuzma, Caruso, and KCP, stayed with the Lakers and won a title.

That's an incredible track record. Russell, Randle, and Ingram became All-Stars. Zubac, KCP, Hart, Caruso and Kuzma became reliable starters. Clarkson became a perennial 6th man of the year candidate, and Ball would have been a stud if not for the injuries.

Post #1166 » by **nate33** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 1:49 pm

Oh yeah, when he moved to Brooklyn, they had rookie Cam Thomas, 3rd year player Nic Claxton, and 3rd year player Bruce Brown on the roster. In 2 years, he turned Claxton into a top 15 center, and Bruce Brown into a $20M player. Cam Thomas might pan out to be a terrific scorer as well.

payitforward · Post #1167 » by **payitforward** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 1:54 pm

Wow...!
Sounds like he's going to be a tremendous asset for the young players on the team (at least...)!

doclinkin · Post #1168 » by **doclinkin** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 2:40 pm

DCZards wrote:JD is very shifty with the ball in his hands. He’s good at using that shiftiness to get into the lane.

The downside is that when he gets to a spot in the lane he lacks the jump shot and floater that he needs to finish. Hopefully, that’s an area where he’ll improve.

That was his entire game in college. It seemed like he was better at shooting when in a crowd and making difficult shots. He used the traffic as picks against each other. It was why I figured he'd struggle at the NBA since the angles are tougher, he will need to shoot over taller players etc. I don't see that he has added a reliable outside shot. His defense keeps him playable, but only in spot minutes or late game substitutions unless he can figure a go to move that works or he adds a ranged jumper.

gambitx777 · Post #1169 » by **gambitx777** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 2:49 pm

Anyone who likes Alex Caruso but doesn't like Johnny Davis is blind. Calling Johnny Davis shirt at 6-4 to 6-5 is silly. Johnny Davis is gonna be a fine ayer he's already really solid on defence! He does need to work on some tricks to make up for his flaws but those will come with time. I think it's time we just forget about where he was drafted and drop it. Focus on him being a good player which his defence will ensure he is.

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using RealGM mobile app

Post #1170 » by **nate33** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 5:01 pm

gambitx777 wrote:Anyone who likes Alex Caruso but doesn't like Johnny Davis is blind. Calling Johnny Davis shirt at 6-4 to 6-5 is silly. Johnny Davis is gonna be a fine ayer he's already really solid on defence! He does need to work on some tricks to make up for his flaws but those will come with time. I think it's time we just forget about where he was drafted and drop it. Focus on him being a good player which his defence will ensure he is.

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using RealGM mobile app

When I called him short, I just mean he's not a 6-7 or taller wing - the kind of guy who can switch onto power forwards and even centers in a pinch, and block shots from the weak side. A guy like Kuzma (or Deni, or Coulibaly after a year of filling out,) is a much bigger factor in help defense than Davis because of his switchability and ability to block shots. Kuzma isn't necessarily a great defender technically, but being tall, long, strong and athletic matters. That allows the defensive game plan to be much more flexible and dynamic. A guy like that can be such a contributor on defense, that you can afford to put them on the court even if they are very low usage offensive players (like Deni).

There are very few Caruso/Pat Beverlee types who are both short and pretty bad on offense - that earn minutes solely by being great point-of-attack defenders. And those guys are absolutely elite, top 1% on ball defenders. Davis looks solid, but let's not put him in the elite category just yet.

Post #1171 » by **nate33** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 5:13 pm

Here are the over/under estimates for 2023-24 wins from Draft Kings:

Nuggets = 54.5
Celtics = 53.5
Bucks = 52.5
Suns = 51.5
Cavaliers = 49.5
Warriors = 49.5
Lakers = 48.5
Grizzlies = 45.5
Mavericks = 45.5
Pelicans = 43.5
Kings = 43.5
Knicks = 43.5
Timberwolves = 43.5
Thunder = 43.5
Hawks = 42.5
Bulls = 37.5
Raptors = 37.5
Magic = 35.5
Pacers = 35.5
Jazz = 34.5
Hornets = 31.5
Rockets = 31.5
Spurs = 30.5
Pistons = 27.5
Wizards = 24.5

What struck me is the parity. Last year, three teams finished with 22 or fewer wins. The year before, 5 teams finished with 25 or fewer wins. The year before that, 5 teams had 25 or fewer wins (adjusted for 72-game season). Only 1 team is predicted to finish with 25 or fewer wins this season.

I think the 90% salary cap rule is having an impact. It's harder to tank if you have a payroll of $120M. You're going to win 25 games by accident, just by having a handful of expensive vets and a few hot shooting nights from 3-point range.

The corollary of this is that it will be harder to win 55+ wins. Good teams can't just expect to go 13-1 against the 5 awful teams in the league because there aren't 5 awful teams. Last year, two teams finished with 57 or more wins. The year before, one team had 64 wins. This year, they're predicting the best team to be equal to or below 55 wins.

WallToWall · Post #1172 » by **WallToWall** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 9:16 pm

Read on Twitter

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Read on Twitter

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David Vanterpool and Brian Keefe are welcomed additions as Wizards assistant coaches

DCZards · Post #1173 » by **DCZards** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 11:39 pm

Vanterpool is someone I wanted the Zards to consider as head coach when they hired Wes. He was a Zards player for one season.

mhd · Post #1174 » by **mhd** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 11:49 pm

nate33 wrote:Here are the over/under estimates for 2023-24 wins from Draft Kings:

Nuggets = 54.5
Celtics = 53.5
Bucks = 52.5
Suns = 51.5
Cavaliers = 49.5
Warriors = 49.5
Lakers = 48.5
Grizzlies = 45.5
Mavericks = 45.5
Pelicans = 43.5
Kings = 43.5
Knicks = 43.5
Timberwolves = 43.5
Thunder = 43.5
Hawks = 42.5
Bulls = 37.5
Raptors = 37.5
Magic = 35.5
Pacers = 35.5
Jazz = 34.5
Hornets = 31.5
Rockets = 31.5
Spurs = 30.5
Pistons = 27.5
Wizards = 24.5

What struck me is the parity. Last year, three teams finished with 22 or fewer wins. The year before, 5 teams finished with 25 or fewer wins. The year before that, 5 teams had 25 or fewer wins (adjusted for 72-game season). Only 1 team is predicted to finish with 25 or fewer wins this season.

I think the 90% salary cap rule is having an impact. It's harder to tank if you have a payroll of $120M. You're going to win 25 games by accident, just by having a handful of expensive vets and a few hot shooting nights from 3-point range.

The corollary of this is that it will be harder to win 55+ wins. Good teams can't just expect to go 13-1 against the 5 awful teams in the league because there aren't 5 awful teams. Last year, two teams finished with 57 or more wins. The year before, one team had 64 wins. This year, they're predicting the best team to be equal to or below 55 wins.

Yup, this team is competing with Portland (once they trade Dame) and SAS as the worst teams in the league. Detroit could also enter the conversation. Ditto the Rockets (although probably not as their young talent is really promising).

Hibachi_0 · Post #1175 » by **Hibachi_0** » Tue Jul 18, 2023 12:18 pm

Read on Twitter

?t=vrBHJaO3BlhRe70dIVWlBA&s=19

Hope we are also monitoring the Okc situation.

payitforward · Post #1176 » by **payitforward** » Tue Jul 18, 2023 12:44 pm

Potentially great opportunity for us.

That's 19 without either Isaiah Joe or Aaron Wiggins, btw -- both good young players!

Post #1177 » by **Rafael122** » Tue Jul 18, 2023 1:02 pm

Hornets won 27 games with Ball only play 36 games, of which they went 13-23 with him. No Bridges too. I fail to see how Washington wins only 24 or 25 games. I'd say 30 is a good bet unless Winger and co decide to tank in January. It honestly wouldn't shock me if they won the same amount of games as last season.

Post #1178 » by **nate33** » Tue Jul 18, 2023 2:40 pm

Rafael122 wrote:Hornets won 27 games with Ball only play 36 games, of which they went 13-23 with him. No Bridges too. I fail to see how Washington wins only 24 or 25 games. I'd say 30 is a good bet unless Winger and co decide to tank in January. It honestly wouldn't shock me if they won the same amount of games as last season.

Name 3 teams that are worse than us. Heck, I'm even not sure you can name 1. Even if Portland trades Lillard, are they worse than us?

Scoot > Jones
Simons = Poole
Herro = Kispert
Sharpe = Coulibaly
Thybulle = Deni
Grant > Kuzma
Nurkic = Gafford

There is greater parity now, but I don't think the worst team in the league is going to win 35 games.

Post #1179 » by **Rafael122** » Tue Jul 18, 2023 2:49 pm

nate33 wrote:
Rafael122 wrote:Hornets won 27 games with Ball only play 36 games, of which they went 13-23 with him. No Bridges too. I fail to see how Washington wins only 24 or 25 games. I'd say 30 is a good bet unless Winger and co decide to tank in January. It honestly wouldn't shock me if they won the same amount of games as last season.

Name 3 teams that are worse than us. Heck, I'm even not sure you can name 1. Even if Portland trades Lillard, are they worse than us?

Scoot > Jones
Simons = Poole
Herro = Kispert
Sharpe = Coulibaly
Thybulle = Deni
Grant > Kuzma
Nurkic = Gafford

There is greater parity now, but I don't think the worst team in the league is going to win 35 games.

I'm not viewing it through the lens of "who is worse than us" because we could pick 3rd overall and would have still won 30 games. There are going to be teams that rest their starters throughout the year, there's going to be injuries, back to backs, etc.

To answer your question, assuming Portland trades Dame, I could see us being better than Detroit, Portland and Charlotte.

I just don't see us being the worse team in the league. Call me a homer, whatever.

DCZards · Post #1180 » by **DCZards** » Tue Jul 18, 2023 2:57 pm

nate33 wrote:
Rafael122 wrote:Hornets won 27 games with Ball only play 36 games, of which they went 13-23 with him. No Bridges too. I fail to see how Washington wins only 24 or 25 games. I'd say 30 is a good bet unless Winger and co decide to tank in January. It honestly wouldn't shock me if they won the same amount of games as last season.

Name 3 teams that are worse than us. Heck, I'm even not sure you can name 1. Even if Portland trades Lillard, are they worse than us?

Scoot > Jones
Simons = Poole
Herro = Kispert
Sharpe = Coulibaly
Thybulle = Deni
Grant > Kuzma
Nurkic = Gafford

There is greater parity now, but I don't think the worst team in the league is going to win 35 games.

I see it a little differently...at least this season.

Jones > Scoot (Scoot will struggle some as a rookie)
Poole > Simons (size & championship pedigree matter)
Herro = Kispert
Sharpe > Coulibaly (Sharpe's offense makes the difference...at least this season, but it's close given Bilal's superior D)
Deni > Thybulle (Neither can shoot but Deni is a better rebounder and playmaker)
Grant = Kuzma (I could buy the argument that Grant is better, but not by much.)
Nurkic > Gafford (a slight edge to Nurkic, imo)