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Washington Wizards: 5 Early Season Takeaways

By Jerran Anderson

Dec 10, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles as Milwaukee Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) defends during the second half at Verizon Center. Washington Wizards won 110-105. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles as Milwaukee Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) defends during the second half at Verizon Center. Washington Wizards won 110-105. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 10, 2016; Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2016; Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

The Washington Wizards are off to a decent start. At 14-16 in the Eastern Conference, they’re on the outside looking in at the playoff race in Scott Brooks’ first season as head coach.

The Washington Wizards have won four of their last six games, getting a much-needed win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 26. It’s been quite a start to the season for this young Washington team. They’re a team with a strong backcourt, but its frontcourt and bench play are lacking.

On a squad that features point guard John Wall and shooting guard Bradley Beal, they’ve struggled to get much production from their supporting cast.

This is particularly true on the interior, where the Wizards rank 28th in the NBA in rebounds per game (41.5) and 28th in defensive rebounds per game (31.2).

Center Marcin Gortat is averaging 11.8 rebounds per game, a career-high. But after Gortat, the interior production falls off dramatically. There’s Markieff Morris, who’s listed at the power forward position, but he’s at most a stretch-4.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Washington Wizards

It hasn’t helped that recently acquired center Ian Mahinmi has been out since Nov. 28 with a knee injury. His return remains undetermined at this time, although team officials are hopeful he can return before the end of the month.

The Wizards’ defensive effort has also been lackluster at best. They are giving up more points than they score, which has already posed some problems for them. The Wizards score 105.1 points per game, but allow 106.5, which ranks 23rd in the NBA.

They’ll need to improve their overall team defense if they have the playoffs in their sights this season.

Here are five takeaways for the Washington Wizards from the first quarter of the season.

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