Washington Wizards: 5 obstacles to contending in 2017-18

4. Finding their lockdown defender

The Washington Wizards are a solid offensive squad but their defense at times, especially during the playoffs, left a lot to be desired. They allowed 107.4 points per game last season, ranking 21st in the NBA.

This season, they have some versatility at their disposal on the wing and on the interior. With that being said, they need to find their lockdown defender to slow down the opposing team’s primary scorer. In this case, Kelly Oubre Jr. serves as a solid candidate to fill this role.

Oubre is a 6’7″, 205-pound small forward with a lot of length and the ability to guard the ball. His minutes are sure to go up this season after he averaged 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 2016-17.

Washington may want to look into letting Oubre be the defensive energy guy.  With the added minutes come an added role, Oubre has the ability to stretch the rotation when the Wizards want to play small-ball. Considering he’s shown he can guard the ball, it may be worth looking into if they hope to get over the hump on defense.