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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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Oct 17, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Washington Wizards guard Gary Neal (14) goes for a layup against Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo (3) in the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Washington Wizards guard Gary Neal (14) goes for a layup against Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo (3) in the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Bench Production

The bench production for the Wizards has been productive considering the amount of injuries they are still dealing with. Nene missed last game with back spasms, Jared Dudley is still finding his way while keeping it easy after coming back from back surgery in July, and Alan Anderson still has yet to play a game due to an ankle injury.

The real stars off the bench have been in the backcourt with the tandem of Ramon Sessions and Gary Neal. Sessions is currently fifth on the team in scoring (9.1) and Neal is just behind at sixth (8.3). Having these two come off the bench as replacements for John Wall and Bradley Beal will be huge especially late in the season when players start to fatigue. Sessions has experience with this team dating back to last season and knows when and where to choose his spots. Neal is the type of player you can put into any system and succeed. His basketball IQ is extremely high to go along with his veteran leadership on the court.

The front court has been an issue in terms of bench production. If Nene continues to struggle with injuries, the next man up is Dejuan Blair. Blair is a great player for effort plays, but his size (6’7″) makes him a huge liability defensively against taller big men. Drew Gooden has been struggling to find the bottom of the net so far shooting just 24 percent from the field. He has proven to be a reliable shooter from outside, so once he overcomes the slump, it will help improve the production at the power forward position.

Next: 5. It's Still Early

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