GT #42: 76ers @ Zards 7 PM

[TheBabyMaker]

What...no love for BB. Kid went on a personal 14-0 run in the middle of the 4th quarter to seal the win when the Sixers were threatening to get back into the game.

Beal has been the Zards best (and most reliable) player...not even close.

One for certain "ability" that Beal has over teammates like Wall and Porter is "availability." Dude hasn't missed a game in forever.

I voted Beal POTG. Wizards best asset.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

This team is bipolar af.

Trust me, you have no idea how terrible bipolar disorder can be.

It's not a word to toss out there. Imagine saying that the Wizards play like cancer patients after chemo. They play like lepers with skin falling off. They might have HIV ...etc.

I've been suffering and surviving and at times flourishing with bipolar for the past 25 plus years.

Horrible. Miserable. Pernicious. Insidious...

Those are things that can describe.

I didn't say this team is bipolar disorder. Bipolar is an actual word not just associated with the disorder. Apologies if that offended you.

None needed. I am hypersensitive to the word.



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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

This team is off and on (is that better Ken?) af.

Actually both us and Philly in the sense that we're both much
better at home than on the road. Much better. Please note,
I'm not trying to say that we're as good as them. They're really
good at home.

Teams that do not have transcendent stars lose on the road. For one thing, they have a tougher time scoring. Another reason is the amount of free throws that the starless team does not get on the road.

I don't have stats to back up my assertion but I'm pretty sure I am right. Stars get calls even on the road.

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Well, so much for Zion. The Sixers are not good on the road and it's bizarre that they can't beat us at Cap One. But you knew that Shamet wouldn't do his JJ Redick impression in back-to-back games. I just didn't see us kicking their ass just as they did the night before. When Otto is on and not dealing with one of a 100 different injuries, he's damn good as is Beal. Jimmy Butler tonight looked as if he'd rather be back in Minnesota.

But good win I guess. That and OKC were impressive.

Dedric Lawson, Markus Howard, Rui Hachimura... I think you might as well forget about Zion Williamson.

Wizards are going to backdoor into the playoffs and remain a treadmill team.

[Shoe]

That Brad Beal is such a swell player, great attitude and a willingness to pass the ball. Worth way more than a Pascal Siakam on a Beal-less team. Lock up Thomas Bryant and Sato to 4 year deals, make Otto the Igoudala 6th man when Wall is back next year. He looked pretty decent as a ball handler and initiator tonight.

Wall
Beal
Sato
Hachimura
Bryant

Otto first off the bench.

Draft Hachimura or Bassey to rebound the ball. Best this team can hope for this off-season. Without Zion most likely delaying the inevitable.

[queridiculo]

Porter needs to be on the floor as a starter. I like Satoransky, but playing him off the ball as a small forward seems like a terrible idea.

Staggering Porter's minutes to have him share more time with the bench is one way to get Porter more shots, but ultimately it really comes down to Wall realizing that perhaps less is more and Otto being more aggressive.

The smart thing would be for the Wizards to shut it down in pursuit of ping pong balls, but I really doubt that's going to happen.

Washington will either make the playoffs or barely miss out, and that's going to close the door on adding somebody like Hachimura in the draft.

[nate33]

Porter needs to be on the floor as a starter. I like Satoransky, but playing him off the ball as a small forward seems like a terrible idea.

Staggering Porter's minutes to have him share more time with the bench is one way to get Porter more shots, but ultimately it really comes down to Wall realizing that perhaps less is more and Otto being more aggressive.

The smart thing would be for the Wizards to shut it down in pursuit of ping pong balls, but I really doubt that's going to happen.

Washington will either make the playoffs or barely miss out, and that's going to close the door on adding somebody like Hachimura in the draft.

I want Porter to play as many minutes as his frame can handle. I don't know if that's 34 or 28. There is some logic to playing Porter whenever Wall is not on the floor because Porter just doesn't seem to get shots alongside Wall. (Though, perhaps that won't be a problem when Morris is off the team.)

So if Porter can only play 28 minutes a night, then a 6th man role (plus crunch time) might work. If Porter can play 34 minutes, then he'll have to start but he should be the first out so he can come back in with the 2nd unit.

[Ruzious]

This team is bipolar af.

Trust me, you have no idea how terrible bipolar disorder can be.

It's not a word to toss out there. Imagine saying that the Wizards play like cancer patients after chemo. They play like lepers with skin falling off. They might have HIV ...etc.

I've been suffering and surviving and at times flourishing with bipolar for the past 25 plus years.

Horrible. Miserable. Pernicious. Insidious...

Those are things that can describe.

I hear ya and feel for you. In my 20's, my mentor and good friend had it, and I didn't realize it until told by his widow at his funeral - after he went off his meds and drunk himself to death when he was 34. He was a genius and a great guy. At the time, I didn't have any idea what bipolar was. I worked with him most every day for 6 years and was totally clueless.

[Ruzious]

Well, so much for Zion. The Sixers are not good on the road and it's bizarre that they can't beat us at Cap One. But you knew that Shamet wouldn't do his JJ Redick impression in back-to-back games. I just didn't see us kicking their ass just as they did the night before. When Otto is on and not dealing with one of a 100 different injuries, he's damn good as is Beal. Jimmy Butler tonight looked as if he'd rather be back in Minnesota.

But good win I guess. That and OKC were impressive.

Dedric Lawson, Markus Howard, Rui Hachimura... I think you might as well forget about Zion Williamson.

Wizards are going to backdoor into the playoffs and remain a treadmill team.

My heart always wants the Wiz to win every game, but my head knows better - even just a small chance at Zion is worth more than competing for the last playoff spot. But it was fun finally seeing both Beal and Otto looking good and the supporting cast getting it done. Grats to Randle for securing rest of season contract and showing he belongs on an NBA roster. And Dekker's playing better than I thought. Winning 2 of last 3 games convincingly against OKC and Philly is impressive.

[NatP4]

Thomas Bryant now has an offensive rating of 138

[Shanghai Kid]

Thomas Bryant now has an offensive rating of 138

His advanced stats are just crazy good in general.

[NatP4]

Thomas Bryant now has an offensive rating of 138

His advanced stats are just crazy good in general.

He’s also only 21 years old.

[dangermouse]

Well, so much for Zion. The Sixers are not good on the road and it's bizarre that they can't beat us at Cap One. But you knew that Shamet wouldn't do his JJ Redick impression in back-to-back games. I just didn't see us kicking their ass just as they did the night before. When Otto is on and not dealing with one of a 100 different injuries, he's damn good as is Beal. Jimmy Butler tonight looked as if he'd rather be back in Minnesota.

But good win I guess. That and OKC were impressive.

Dedric Lawson, Markus Howard, Rui Hachimura... I think you might as well forget about Zion Williamson.

Wizards are going to backdoor into the playoffs and remain a treadmill team.

My heart always wants the Wiz to win every game, but my head knows better - even just a small chance at Zion is worth more than competing for the last playoff spot. But it was fun finally seeing both Beal and Otto looking good and the supporting cast getting it done. Grats to Randle for securing rest of season contract and showing he belongs on an NBA roster. And Dekker's playing better than I thought. Winning 2 of last 3 games convincingly against OKC and Philly is impressive.

Feel the same way...

Tanking could really help out our front court though. IMO Otto needs to move back to SF, keep him healthy. We need to draft a good rebounder. Obviously, best player available comes first, but if they are also a good rebounding front court player then thats great.

[NatP4]

Dekker is now posting a 20 PER and a .592 TS%

[nate33]

Dekker is now posting a 20 PER and a .592 TS%

He's been really good. I'm particularly impressed with his 2.4 steals per 36 minutes and the almost total absence of turnovers. He's a great cutter and the ball never sticks to him, so he's a very good cog in the system. And he hustles defensively.

All that said, I'm still a bit of a skeptic. He's not as good as those numbers. The problem is he can't shoot. You can get away with that as a 2nd string player during the dog days of January when teams aren't all that serious about scouting the opposition's bench. But at some point, teams will learn to sag off of him and watch for his back door cuts. The poor spacing will then make life more difficult for his teammates. I don't know if he would be all that useful in a playoff series. Still, he's a fine 8th or 9th man and I'd love to have him back if it's a cheap contract. It's always good to have a handful of guys who play the right way. It's great for team chemistry.

That assessment changes big time if he learned to shoot. He would then be the power forward version of Sato. I'm not all that optimistic that it will happen though. His form isn't broken, but he's a career 61% FT shooter and 29% 3-point shooter.

[payitforward]

To me the only question about Dekker is whether his numbers are better than you usually get for a guy at his salary. His only really bad year was '17-18 w/ the Clippers. His FT% has gone up year on year. & he's been a good % 2pt. scorer all along.

As you have pointed out, nate, salaries are going to go up again pretty soon, which will make relatively inexpensive long-term contracts look like more of a bargain. If he isn't going to be very expensive to sign long-term, then Dekker might be quite a good bet to sew up.