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Washington Wizards: Questions About Frontcourt Depth Linger

By Faizan Hasnany

Feb 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards forward Nene Hilario (42) and forward Kris Humphries (43) react on the bench in the closing minutes of their loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. Hawks won 105-96. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards forward Nene Hilario (42) and forward Kris Humphries (43) react on the bench in the closing minutes of their loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. Hawks won 105-96. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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This offseason the Washington Wizards transformed their identity into a full-fledged, small-ball oriented team. The additions of Jared Dudley, Alan Anderson and Gary Neal were key in reinforcing depth in small-ball lineups, but have left a potentially major area of deficiency in Washington.

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With the departure of Kevin Seraphin, who signed with the New York Knicks, the Wizards now lack depth in terms of big men in a frontcourt which currently consists of Drew Gooden, Kris Humphries and Dejuan Blair behind Marcin Gortat and Nene.

Blair struggled to see playing time last season, and was often an offensive liability in his limited minutes. Gooden was exceptional towards the end of last season, and showed his range as a stretch four by shooting 46 percent from beyond the arc in the playoffs. However, uncertainty still surrounds how many minutes the 13-year veteran can contribute on a nightly basis over the course of a full season and into the playoffs.

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Nene, who has also been in the league for 13 seasons, has dealt with injury issues throughout his career at Washington, failing to start more than 58 games in a season for the Wizards. As a player who relies on posting up, his style of play also may not mesh particularly well with Randy Wittman’s new offense. This was on full display in the second round against the Hawks when he was held without a field goal for the first two games of the series, and shot under 45 percent from the field throughout the playoffs.

Although Otto Porter and Dudley are expected to also see time at the stretch four position in small lineups, those lineups could be susceptible to giving up rebounds and lacking rim protection, two issues the Wizards found themselves facing against the frontcourt duo of Paul Millsap and Al Horford of the Hawks.

Kris Humphries could very well be the X-Factor and one of the most pivotal pieces of the Wizards frontcourt this season. Before suffering a groin injury against Minnesota on February 25th, Humphries was one of the most consistent frontcourt players for the Wizards, averaging 13.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per 36 minutes over the course of 64 games.

SeasonAgeTmPosGGSFGFGAFG%FTFTAFT%ORBDRBTRBASTSTLBLKPTS
2014-1529WASPF64175.611.9.4732.33.1.7443.28.011.11.50.90.713.6
Career6911825.311.3.4702.94.1.6903.67.411.01.40.81.213.5

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/2/2015.

Humphries has proven that he is comfortable shooting jump shots regularly, and has the ability to stretch the floor offensively. In fact, 52 percent of his shots came from the mid-range, outside the paint. If Humphries can extend his range to the three-point line, he should see a more significant increase in his minutes this season.

While the focus on smaller lineups this offseason appears to be a move in the right direction, it has left the Washington Wizards frontcourt with some lingering uncertainties that could prove to be troublesome going forward. Look for Kris Humphries to potentially take on a larger role this season in what is a thin unit for Washington up front.

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