Wizards Identity

[deneem4]

Playing a historically good team like that, I think we should realize what type of team we are going forward

I think we play our best ball when we put an emphasis on transition, spacing the floor and attacking the rim...

Personnel wise, nene/Dudley has to come off the bench...
Until humpries come back porter has to start at the 4
Until beal is healthy wall and sessions control guard
And of course the rookie Start at the 3....

I'm not sure how to look up the stats but how good are we when we reach a certain amount of points in transition???

[Higga]

There is no identity because the roster doesn't fit together. You have Wall but then you put plodders like Nene Gortat and Gooden. Our 3 point shooters aren't athletes that can run. We don't really do any one thing well offensively.

We need to nuke the roster and surround Wall with young athletes, hopefully a few that can shoot.

[queridiculo]

There is no identify because Grunfeld has never at any point cultivated anything close to establishing one. The only thing he stands for is mediocrity and he will get there by any means necessary.

[Kanyewest]

The Wizards identity is right now get Wall and company to run up and down the floor with a lot of 3 point shooting mixed in with some mid range shots. The Wizards do not play defense consistently unless it is against a big time opponent or when they are already down by double digits.

[dlts20]

Just finally start Beal and go from there. Im sick of having our 2nd best player and our first or 2nd best scorer coming off the bench when we start like crap every game

[TheSecretWeapon]

Playing a historically good team like that, I think we should realize what type of team we are going forward

I think we play our best ball when we put an emphasis on transition, spacing the floor and attacking the rim...

Personnel wise, nene/Dudley has to come off the bench...
Until humpries come back porter has to start at the 4
Until beal is healthy wall and sessions control guard
And of course the rookie Start at the 3....

I'm not sure how to look up the stats but how good are we when we reach a certain amount of points in transition???

I'm not sure where to find a game log that contains transition points. I do know that the Wizards have been better this season (and last) in slower-paced games. In games played at 100 possessions per 48 minutes or faster, the Wizards are 3-15 so far this season. Their defense has been about the same regardless of pace, but their offense has been less efficient in faster games. Why? They've committed more turnovers (as a percentage of possessions) in faster-paced games.

In wins, they've played at a pace of 96.0 possessions per 48 minutes; in losses: 99.5.

All that said, "pace" is a red herring. Playing fast is a bad goal, unless it contributes to a team being more efficient. Playing faster by committing more turnovers and taking bad shots is foolish.

I'd LIKE to see the Wizards find an identity built on smart basketball where things that matter (like taking good shots, avoiding turnovers, playing good defense) are emphasized.

Regardless, they need better players.

[AFM]

Yeah I got an identity for you. This team reminds me of a turd slowly exiting Leonsis' a-sshole after he eats a gyro.

[Dark Faze]

you got teams rocking multiple 22+ PER players

you've gota improve in that regard before you can tell what scheme is better than the other

[Ruzious]

Win, and you will get an identity... as a winner.

The Skins tried to gain an identity as a running team. They ended up a poor running team but passed real well. That helped them win - regardless of their overt attempt to be known as a running team. But I think they're happy that the won - rather than lived up to their identity. Just win.

[deneem4]

But the thing is last year we had an identity even the year before that....
And I don't think neither of those guys had a really high PER
Did Pierce and ariza make that big of a difference?
Is it Webster being gone? (always had personality, whether on the bench or in the game)
Seraphin?, what has changed us from the last 2 years?
Beal always been in and out...
Our bench has actually been worse previously...
Are we tanking?

[TheSecretWeapon]

Just to clarify -- what I wrote earlier doesn't mean the Wizards shouldn't play an uptempo game. There are advantages to "playing fast" if it's done smart. In general, I favor pushing the ball up the floor quickly. That involves both the ball and the players getting up-court as fast as they can, but without rushing. There are advantages to this: the shots you can get before the defense is completely organized are often going to be just as good (or better) than shots that come later in the shot clock, and if you don't get a good shot quickly, you have more time to run your offense to get a good shot.

But, the emphasis should be on making smart plays, not necessarily being fast.

[TheSecretWeapon]

But the thing is last year we had an identity even the year before that....
And I don't think neither of those guys had a really high PER
Did Pierce and ariza make that big of a difference?
Is it Webster being gone? (always had personality, whether on the bench or in the game)
Seraphin?, what has changed us from the last 2 years?
Beal always been in and out...
Our bench has actually been worse previously...
Are we tanking?

The past two seasons when the Wizards made the playoffs: THEY WEREN'T GOOD. They were average. Mediocre. Their record got inflated by the historically weak East, and they got lucky in the playoffs to meet a similarly average Bulls team (also with an inflated record) with whom they matched up well, and then a decent Raptors team that had their best player hobbled.

The Wizards front office chose to construct a facade of "good" instead of a team that was actually good. In some article I wrote somewhere on the web 2-3 years ago, I compared it to a house that needed major renovation. But, instead of doing the renovation, Grunfeld & Leonsis spackled and painted and patched. In an extremely weak East, that was enough to make the playoffs. In a slightly stronger East: probably not.

[Sluggerface]

We have an identity already.

It's called we suck.