Washington Wizards 2012-13 NBA Preview
Photo Credit: Geoff Livingston, Flickr.com
Washington Wizards
2011-12 Vitals:
20-46, 4th in Southeast Division, 14th in Eastern Conference
93.6 PPG/98.4 OPP PPG
2012-13 Roster:
Trevor Ariza – SF
Earl Barron – PF
Bradley Beal – SG
Trevor Booker – PF
Brian Cook – PF
Jordan Crawford – SG
Steven Gray – G
Shelvin Mack – G
Cartier Martin – SF
Nene – C
Emeka Okafor – C
A.J. Price – G
Shavlik Randolph – PF
Tomas Satoransky – SF
Kevin Seraphin – F
Chris Singleton – SF
Jan Vesely – F
John Wall – PG
Martell Webster – SF
Offseason Additions:
Bradley Beal, Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza, A.J. Price, Martell Webster
Offseason Subtractions:
Projected Starters:
PG – John Wall
SG – Jordan Crawford
SF – Trevor Ariza
PF – Nene
C – Emeka Okafor
Season Outlook:
The end of the 2011-12 season was a success for the Wizards, as they won their last six games and saw a glimpse of John Wall as a facilitator. He scored less, but got his teammates involved and it resulted in wins.
Unfortunately, he’s got a patella issue that looks to keep him out the first eight weeks. It’s a crushing blow for a team that made moves that are sure to improve their team and likely would have gotten them close to the playoffs.
They will have to depend heavily on the veterans to hold down the fort until Wall gets back, but they don’t really have a good alternative at point guard. Playoffs are still a possibility, but the first stretch will be tough without Wall.
Best-Case Scenario:
The Wizards play solid defense and Bradley Beal comes along quickly. Being without John Wall hurts, but the Wizards manage to stick at .500. He comes back strong and leads the team to the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, only to get crushed by the Miami Heat.
Worst-Case Scenario:
Being without a replacement point guard means more players out of position and more uncertainty. Beal can’t properly develop and his progress is slow. The Wizards start poorly and can’t recover once Wall gets back. 30 wins and another shot at the lottery.
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