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Washington Wizards: Best Move They Did, Didn’t Make

By Josh Cornelissen

Nov 4, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) celebrates with Wizards guard John Wall (2) and Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) after making the game-winning basket against the San Antonio Spurs in the final second of the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 102-99. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 4, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) celebrates with Wizards guard John Wall (2) and Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) after making the game-winning basket against the San Antonio Spurs in the final second of the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 102-99. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Wizards fell far short of their goals last season, missing the playoffs entirely. With a new coach, how did the Wizards do this offseason? What was their best move – and the best move they didn’t make?

Hindsight is 20/20 — the ability to look backwards in time at a situation grants perspective that makes evaluating decisions easier to make.

In hindsight, it was a great move for the Minnesota Timberwolves to trade All-Star Kevin Love for Andrew Wiggins and a package of draft picks; they are now set up for a bright future.

But perspective takes time, and the Washington Wizards made a number of moves this offseason to rebuild a team that disappointed in 2016. With our limited hindsight, how did Washington do?

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What was the best move that they made? What was the best move they didn’t make?

Jan 10, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi (28) celebrates after scoring a basket during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi (28) celebrates after scoring a basket during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Best Move They Made: Signing Ian Mahinmi

On the surface, this move seemed almost unnecessary. Washington already employed the services of a starting-caliber center in Marcin Gortat, a player with excellent chemistry in the pick-and-roll with John Wall. Why sign a second starting center?

Last year showed Washington and its fans the dangers of not having depth at the center position. Backup center Nene Hilario was injured and missed 25 games last season and in his absence the Wizards floundered.

With no depth behind Gortat, they had to trot out the likes of Dejuan Blair and Ryan Hollins at backup center.

The results were not pretty. Blair and Hollins made the team actively worse while on the court; the Wizards were at least three points worse on both offense and defense when Hollins tried to hold down the middle. Blair posted a PER of 5.4, where the NBA average in that statistic is 15.

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Marcin Gortat was not a picture of perfect health either, missing eight games of his own. The Wizards could not go into next season with frail or aged options behind Gortat, and so they let Nene walk in order to sign a different option.

The leaguewide trend is to place big men with scoring ability on the second unit to dominate less-apt defenders.

The Wizards will now field 48 straight minutes of good defense at the center position, negating the advantage teams such as Indiana, Orlando, and Philadelphia will try to pursue this season.

Ian Mahinmi had an outstanding season in Indiana last year, putting up in career numbers in every single counting stat;minutes played, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

He ranked second only to Paul George in win shares, making an outsized impact  during his minutes on the court.

Mahinmi, once a journeyman floating around the league, showed himself to be a solid starter when given the opportunity.

Indiana had every reason to give minutes to promising rookie Myles Turner last year, but Mahinmi’s play was so good they had to give those minutes to Turner at the power forward position.

Washington had, and has, other holes to fill besides backup center. But Ian Mahinmi is a talented and reliable player who deserved the contract he signed, and will give the Wizards two strong options at center.

In the wake of not signing All-Stars Kevin Durant or Al Horford, Mahinmi was a solid choice.

Feb 3, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) leaps to pass the ball as Washington Wizards forward Jared Dudley (1) defends in the first quarter at Verizon Center. The Warriors won 134-121. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 3, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) leaps to pass the ball as Washington Wizards forward Jared Dudley (1) defends in the first quarter at Verizon Center. The Warriors won 134-121. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Best Move They Didn’t Make: Re-signing Jared Dudley

Last offseason the Wizards decided to pursue a faster, smaller style of play reminiscent of their strategy in the playoffs. Slotting Paul Pierce at the 4 allowed the Wizards to open up the floor and destroy the Toronto Raptors. Unfortunately, things did not go well for them last season.

The problems were myriad, from injuries to key players to the next level analysis that forcing smaller defenders onto the court actually hurts John Wall’s ability to run a successful fast break. But the biggest problem the team had was they simply lacked the personnel to go small.

A team needs two things to go small; a strong complement of wings, and at least one player who can guard power forwards while stretching the floor on offense. Washington went into last season with neither of those boxes checked.

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The Wizards stumbled out of the gate and continued stumbling, unable to right the ship and get above .500. A team that many picked to face Cleveland in the Conference Finals hovered around the fringe of the playoff race while teams such as Charlotte and Detroit passed them by.

Drew Gooden, Kris Humphries and Kelly Oubre were trotted out at power forward, and all of them proved wholly incapable to filling that role.

Midway through the season Washington made a change, starting Jared Dudley at the 4 instead of having him backup the 3. Dudley, who was an underrated part of the Milwaukee Bucks’ surge the year before, helped to stabilize the position for the Wizards.

When they traded for Markieff Morris at the trade deadline, the Wizards were able to turn a position of need into a strength — or at least not a debilitating problem.

Dudley was the perfect player to keep around, a strong, positive locker room veteran who provided positive on-court value on offense and defense. With cap space to spend after signing Mahinmi, the Wizards could easily have offered Dudley a large, short-term contract to stay with the team.

Instead they threw money at Andrew Nicholson and Jason Smith, two backup big men coming to the nation’s capital by way of Orlando.

While Nicholson is young enough to provide some intriguing upside, neither player is going to be a difference maker for the team next season. Dudley would have been exactly that.

With injuries almost sure to strike this team, the Wizards needed quality depth to withstand such periods and continue winning games to once again become a playoff team. Jared Dudley would have been the perfect fit on and off the court to get this team back on track.

By allowing him to walk, the Wizards could join the Clippers and Bucks as teams wishing they had kept around the versatile, high-character player.

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