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Hard Screens Podcast: Washington Wizards Roundup, Western Conference Chaos

By Shane Young

Oct 31, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) talks with Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) against the New York Knicks in the second quarter at Verizon Center. The Knicks won 117-110. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) talks with Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) against the New York Knicks in the second quarter at Verizon Center. The Knicks won 117-110. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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After five games of the fresh and frenzied 2015-16 NBA season, the Washington Wizards are right at the .500 mark — 3-3, with wins over the Magic, Bucks, and Spurs. The Baltimore and D.C. area had every reason to be optimistic heading into this new adventure, as Randy Wittman vowed to alter his coaching style to conform to his players. This was a highly-respected approach, as opposed to forcing young, new-age players to adapt to outmoded ways.

Making the determination to speed up the game meant a great deal for this team’s probability to compete for the Eastern Conference Finals. Relegating Nene to the bench, taking more risks from the outside, and trusting John Wall to operate a fashionable offense for today’s standards is exactly what Wittman had in store.

However, similar to any huge metamorphosis that takes place, you have to adhere to original fundamental principles. For the frenetic and overeager Wizards, it’s easy to understand what got lost in the shuffle. Defensive tenacity must have followed Paul Pierce out the door in July’s free agency period, as a paralleled determination to their deep 2015 playoff run hasn’t been apparent.

Just throw out the fact that two of Washington’s three wins were against teams that likely won’t be strong enough for the next playoff pool. In their 3-3 start, the Wizards have allowed 105.7 points per 100 possessions, which is currently 21st in the league. Below them are a couple top-seed contenders, but it’s mostly laughable lottery teams rounding out the bottom tier from 22-30. This puts Washington’s net rating at -5.4, and it’s not a terrific sign to see that swell into the negatives. Even if it’s “early,” you still have to maintain the same strategy that built you into a playoff roster.

To figure out the positives and negatives of the Wizards’ early returns, I invited Colby Giacubeno on the Hard Screens Podcast. Giacubeno covers the Wizards for HoopsHabit and has an up-close understanding of the team. To follow him on Twitter, click here.

We also engaged in Western Conference discussion, sorting through the 5-6 teams we can already see shaping out to be playoff guarantees.

Enjoy the show: