Washington Wizards: Projecting the Starting Lineup

Washington Wizards point guard John Wall has a lot on his mind these days.

He’s been busy this offseason trying to secure a spot on next year’s 2014 FIBA World Cup team, one that will be led by Kevin Durant as the new face of Team USA. It also looks like Wall will soon be offered a new five-year, $80 million max contract extension, reported earlier this week.

Wall has a max contract in his sights, and Beal should be even better in his sophomore season. Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com

The most important thing on Wall’s mind though has to be the pressure building up for him to lead the Wizards back into the playoffs for the first time since 2008. With the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics downgrading this offseason, the Wizards should be able to lock up a sixth, seventh or eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Wall is expected to have a huge campaign, but other players on the roster will have a large say in the team’s success as well. The Wizards has a nice mix of veteran players combined with young talent.

Here’s a quick look at the Wizards projected starting five.

PF: Nene
SF: Martell Webster
C: Emeka Okafor
SG: Bradley Beal
PG: John Wall

Nene and Okafor are two veterans who form a solid tandem on the interior. Strength and toughness are both of their biggest attributes they bring to the team. Okafor should still be able to beat out 23-year-old Kevin Seraphin, who has improved each of the past few seasons.

Webster is still in his prime at just 26 and the team re-signed him to a multi-year deal as he is coming off his best season as a pro. Last season, he averaged 11.4 points per game, the most in his career, while starting in 62 games. Webster will have more competition with the Wizards drafting Otto Porter out of Georgetown. Based off his summer league performance though, it does not look like he is ready to challenge for a starting job this season. Trevor Ariza is another swingman who will compete for playing time in the rotation, as he hopes to return healthier.

Wall and Beal will be one of the most talented, young backcourts in the league. Beal was arguably a top three candidate for Rookie of the Year last season, averaging 13.9 points a game. Wall’s expectations are as huge as ever and he will have to live up to that $80 million contract if the Wizards are going to make the playoffs.