Why The Washington Wizards Will Make The Playoffs

Mar 17, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Washington Wizards won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Washington Wizards won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 10, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris (5) shoots the ball over Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams (2) in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 113-98. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris (5) shoots the ball over Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams (2) in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 113-98. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

2. The roster is better than at the start of last season

Not only will Brooks be an upgrade over Wittman, he is coming into next season with a better roster than they had at the beginning of last year.

While they didn’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft, considering how weak the draft class was I think they would choose Markieff Morris over the pick every time.

A full season of Morris will be a big boost to the Wizards, who will have flexibility with their big man positions with a rotation of Marcin Gortat, Morris, Ian Mahinmi, Jason Smith, Andrew Nicholson and J.J. Hickson.

Even if they suffer some injuries, that rotation is far deeper than last season and provides them with the ability to have multiple defensive centers in Gortat and Mahinmi that can either play alongside, or with floor spacing bigs in Morris and Nicholson.

The addition of Marcus Thornton also gives them an explosive wing scorer capable of creating offense for himself and others.

The roster has more reliable options than last season at every position other than point guard, where the disappointing Trey Burke is a downgrade from Ramon Sessions.

This shouldn’t be too big of a concern, given the minutes that John Wall plays, plus Thornton’s ability to provide some playmaking. With or without a strong backup point guard, the Wizards would struggle if Wall were to miss significant time.

So it seems pointless to focus too much on the weaknesses of Burke.

Next: Changing Eastern Conference