Washington Wizards: Life without John Wall, Part 2

Tomas Satoransky developing into a solid option off the bench

Washington Wizards guard Tomas Satoransky is another positive sign off the bench this season. The Wizards rank in the middle of the pack of the league in largely every category as a bench unit, but all that could change if Satoransky continues to play well.

Well, depending on how you define playing “well.”

At first sight, Satoransky’s four points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals against the Thunder on Tuesday night look meaningless. In hindsight, he also held Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook to 13 points (5-of-18 shooting),10 assists and six rebounds while forcing seven turnovers. Westbrook turned in a plus/minus of -7. Satoransky’s plus/minus was +21, without making a field goal.

If there’s anything the Washington Wizards have needed, it’s a solid defender and that’s what Satoransky is becoming for them. In his first start of the season on Saturday night, he turned in 11 points, seven assists and three rebounds on 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range. He finished with a plus/minus of +12 while opposing Atlanta Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder finished with a -13.

Next: 2017-18 Week 16 NBA Power Rankings

Satoransky has yet to back down from any challenge put in front of him in his second year in the NBA. He’s one guy who could see a bigger role going forward with John Wall out for an extended amount of time.