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Washington Wizards: 5 Reasons Not To Panic

By Colby Giacubeno

Nov 10, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (M) looks on while sitting on the bench against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Thunder won 125-101. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 10, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (M) looks on while sitting on the bench against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Thunder won 125-101. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 4, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles the ball as San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) and Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) chase in the second 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 John Wall (2) dribbles the ball as San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) and Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) chase in the second quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 102-99. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Successful Uptempo Offense

According to ESPN Hollinger Team Statistics, the Wizards are first in the league in terms of offensive pace (104.5). This ranking is a huge increase in comparison to last season’s 93.7. As expected, John Wall’s game has benefitted most from the switch to the “pace and space” mentality. There aren’t many players who can guard the lightning-quick floor general in transition. He is averaging 17.7 points per game and is sixth in the league in assists (8.1) and third in steals (2.4).

The big criticism of the Wizards’ play thus far offensively has centered around turnovers, for good reason. The Wizards are dead last in turnovers per game with 21.9. While many attribute it to being because of the uptempo offense, most are occurring within half court sets. Stupid mistakes of either forcing passes or a breakdown of a specific play have resulted in a turnover and in the majority of occurrences, fast break points for the opposition.

In their last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the bright spot in the 125-101 loss was the season-low eight turnovers. In the prior two games, they had a combined 50 turnovers. So before taking a look at the raw turnover numbers, realize that the majority are coming in the half court mostly off chemistry errors or forced passes. An uptempo offense forces players to make split-second decisions that would usually negatively affect a team’s production, but the Wizards are built for this type of system, it’s just going to take time.

Next: 2. Otto's Improvement

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