Washington Wizards: Reserves Finding Their Role

The Washington Wizards’ bench players have found their niche within the rotation and are big reason for recent winning streak.

The Washington Wizards are riding a three-game winning streak and will look to extend it to four games against a tough Indiana Pacers team Tuesday night in D.C. Early in the month, it seemed as if the team just wasn’t gelling within the new offensive system.

Whether it was turning the ball over in simple half-court sets, missing defensive rotations that led to easy baskets, or just pure chemistry, something seemed off about this team.

This offseason, the Wizards were very active during free agency signing players who could come off the bench and provide scoring. They signed Gary Neal, Alan Anderson (who still has yet to play because of an ankle injury), and traded for Jared Dudley. Neal has been an instant impact off the bench as a guy who can come in and knock down open shots.

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His IQ and versatility to play point guard or shooting guard have been big factors in his success of finding his niche in to rotation early on. Dudley had been recovering from back surgery he had in July to repair a herniated disk, but has shown that he is becoming more comfortable with his body out on the floor.

The starting rotation remains consistent. It’s pretty much a given these days that John Wall is going to dish out at least eight to 10 assists each night along with scoring 12 to 18 points. Although he has missed three games because of a shoulder injury, Bradley Beal has been on an absolute tear to start this season.

Otto Porter Jr. has been finding his role in the uptempo offense to get transition baskets running alongside Wall. The frontcourt of Kris Humphries and Marcin Gortat have had solid games individually, but consistency will be key with them both as the season continues.

Starting with the most recent game at Detroit, the bench was able to dominate the Pistons’ reserves, outscoring them 51-15. Nene led the team in scoring with 18 points while pulling down seven rebounds. Ramon Sessions was also a key factor as he contributed 14 points, nine assists, and four rebounds.

It was a joint effort, but Nene and Gortat were able to limit Andre Drummond to eight points and 13 rebounds on the night. Drummond has been one of the most dominant players in the league this season averaging 18 points and 17 boards a night.

When the Wizards hosted Milwaukee, it was Dudley who finally had a game that symbolized why the team traded for him. The Wizards’ bench outscored the Bucks’ bench 46-34 for the game.

Dudley finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, not numbers that necessarily jump out at you when analyzing the box score, but it was a sign that he was starting to come around in his role with a new team.

His 3-for-4 shooting from outside is what made the Wizards so hard to guard. Throwing him in at the stretch-4 position was the logical choice after he was acquired, so if he can continue to knock down the long ball consistently, it will open up the floor for everyone else, making them an extremely tough match up.

The game that ignited their three-game winning streak started against Orlando. The bench scoring was dead even this game at 30 points for both teams, but it was Nene again providing with nine points and six boards. Garrett Temple, who usually comes off the bench, started in the absence of the injured Beal and had himself a career-high 18 points and going 3-for-6 from downtown.

It has been proven year after year that a productive bench is key in winning games both during the regular season and the postseason. It’s still very early, but seeing the Wizards’ bench producing at this rate has proven to be a winning formula and will come in huge once the playoffs roll around.

Of course, they hit a lapse where they were playing ugly basketball as a team that resulted in three-straight losses, but going through something like that early in the season is ideal rather then collapsing in the middle like they did last season.

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If the Wizards can put together another triumphant performance Tuesday night, they could realistically win the next three games on their schedule before their huge game against the Cavaliers Dec. 1 at Cleveland, which would put them at a 10-4 record. Players are still trying to solidify their role within the new system, but the key point remains the same … consistency.