Washington Wizards: Life without John Wall is a roller coaster

The Washington Wizards have been without John Wall for six games and it’s been a heck of a roller coaster for the team in his absence.

When the Washington Wizards announced last Saturday afternoon that they would be without All-Star point guard John Wall for approximately two weeks, fans (namely me) were probably in disbelief. Wall recently sat out of Washington’s game against the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 26 due to the same knee, but returned to the rotation after sitting for a game.

John Wall underwent an MRI last Friday, then received platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and viscosupplementation injections to calm down inflammation and discomfort in his left knee. So far, the Wizards are 3-3 this season without Wall in the lineup. Wall’s absence has shown some good things and some not so good things.

Tuesday night, Bradley Beal put up a career-high 51 points against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 106-92 victory, avenging a previous loss. Last Saturday night against Portland, Washington seemed to have the game well in hand. They led by 10 points to begin the fourth quarter. Then, things fell apart.

They were outscored 35-22 by the Trail Blazers in the fourth quarter, as C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard combined for 22 points. On the flipside, the Wizards shot 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) from the floor as a team. After holding Portland to 14 points in the second quarter and three strong quarters of play, the Wizards defense went south, as did their offense.

Their offense wasn’t too hard to find Tuesday with Beal leading the charge. He shot 21-of-37 from the floor and 5-of-12 from 3-point range to lead all scorers in the game. He set a new career-high in field goals made and attempted in the game and it seemed to work for all parties involved as the Wizards got a much-needed victory in the end.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/938277873965727745

Finding their spark on offense

On Monday night, the Wizards suffered an embarrassing loss to the Utah Jazz, 116-69. It was Washington’s second-worst loss in franchise history as the team put up 30 points in the first half and could never fully recover.

Donovan Mitchell and Alec Burks combined for 48 points on 17-of-26 shooting while Marcin Gortat was held scoreless. He still had seven rebounds, four steals and three assists, but this team looks like it’s in need of a shakeup on the interior.

More from Washington Wizards

• Washington Wizards draft odds: What are their chances at the #1 pick?
• Wizards: 5 Teams that should trade for Bradley Beal this summer
• Ranking the top 18 shooters available on NBA trade market
• Trade Grades: Rui Hachimura traded to the Lakers
• NBA Trades: 5 under-the-radar trade targets

The Washington Wizards are still looking to find their identity through the first 24 games of the season. Beal was 4-of-15 with 11 points on Monday night against Utah, while Otto Porter Jr., their most consistent player thus far, put up a team-high 14 points along with six rebounds.

Porter’s assistance wasn’t needed Tuesday as the offense let Beal do his thing, but it’s not sustainable going forward. Between Porter, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Jodie Meeks, one would expect to see lineups that feature their 3-point shooting ability. In reality, Meeks is shooting just 32 percent from 3-point range on the season. In his 22 minutes against the Jazz, he was 2-of-9 for four points.

At times, they’ve looked like a playoff-caliber team, even without Wall. Take their performance against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. They beat the Pistons soundly 109-91 behind 23 points from Markieff Morris and Tomas Satoransky‘s 17 points — a career-high for the second-year player.

Satoransky stepping up

The Wizards have been getting strong minutes from Satoransky of late. He put up eight points against the Jazz on Monday night and seven points, four rebounds and three assists against Portland Tuesday night.

The second-year guard is averaging 9.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds in his last five appearances. Put that next to the 5.2 points, 3.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game Tim Frazier is averaging since Wall’s absence and it’s a no-brainer who should be getting more minutes going forward.

Surprisingly, Mike Scott was held scoreless as well against Utah off the bench. Despite being one of their biggest sparks off the bench next to Oubre, Scott is averaging 5.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game since Wall has been out. He’s appeared in all but three games for the Wizards this season, averaging 7.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Next: 2017-18 Week 8 NBA Power Rankings

It will be interesting to see how the Wizards adjust going forward. It may be time to place some trust into a small-ball lineup that features Morris-Oubre-Porter-Beal-Meeks or even Mike Scott for Meeks, if you’re Scott Brooks. Wall is set to return as soon as Dec. 9 when they face the Los Angeles Clippers on the road.