Washington Wizards: Assessing the team at the midseason mark

Overall

The Washington Wizards are currently 13-7 at home and 10-10 on the road. They’ve made strides in their last 10 games with a 7-3 record. Behind the play of Bradley Beal and John Wall, Washington has become a much better defensive team in 2017-18. It’s been their struggles on offense that have held them back a bit this year.

Right now, their biggest weakness continues to be their performance in the fourth quarter. In losses, they’re averaging 23.6 points per game while shooting 36.5 percent from the floor and 30.3 percent from 3-point range in the fourth quarter. They entered the final quarter leading the Milwaukee Bucks 95-82 on Saturday night before getting outscored 28-18 and losing the game, 110-103.

Their collapse against Milwaukee was their latest in a growing number of them. It didn’t help that John Wall went 5-for-19 shooting in the game either, although he did finish with 16 points and 16 assists. Granted, the team was without Otto Porter Jr., but injuries are part of the game.

Next: 2017-18 Week 13 NBA Power Rankings

Washington has to start stringing together some victories if it hopes to improve on last year’s 49-33 record. Fifty wins would be ideal for this team, but for now, being fourth-best in the East will do.

Grade: B