The Washington Wizards and head coach Scott Brooks are reaping the rewards of a strong February without All-Star point guard John Wall.
The Washington Wizards and head coach Scott Brooks are in good shape entering a big stretch of the regular season schedule. Brooks was awarded the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award for the team’s games this past month. It’s the second Coach of the Month he’s received in his tenure with the Wizards. He’s the first coach in franchise history to achieve that feat.
The team posted an 8-4 record in February without the services of point guard John Wall. Wall is averaging 19.4 points, 9.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game this season. With Wall in the lineup, the Wizards are 21-16. Without him, they’re 15-10.
There were some early bumps in the road for Brooks and the Wizards this season. The team started the year with an 11-10 record through the first two months. After a successful stretch of games in December, the month of January was a struggle for Washington. They went 7-6 in January after going 10-6 in December.
To make matters worse, the Washington Wizards entered February with Wall sidelined by a knee injury for 4-6 weeks. The team didn’t panic, but there was some concern that this roster could sustain its top-level play. At the NBA Trade Deadline, there were talks of moving center Marcin Gortat, but the team decided to stand pat, entrusting Brooks with righting the ship.
Right the ship he did. Just when it looked like the Wizards would fall apart, Brooks has managed to turn things around. Washington ranked third in the NBA in assists per game (29.3) and first in assist percentage (69.5 percent) in the month of February.
Adjusting without Wall on the floor
One player who has thrived during Wall’s absence is Tomas Satoransky. Satoransky averaged 5.8 assists per game in February, just above his season average of 3.4 per game. He was also the team’s best 3-point shooter last month, shooting 55.6 percent from behind the arc.
Shooting guard Bradley Beal was his usual self on the scoring front and his assists were up. He dished out 6.7 assists per game last month, slightly above his season average of 4.5 per contest as well.
Entering March, the Wizards look to be in good shape with a 36-27 record, fourth in the East. Instead of trying to play as if John Wall were on the court, Scott Brooks has taken a different approach and it’s worked. When Beal made the comments “everybody eats,” it wasn’t a knock on his fellow backcourt mate, but instead a change of mentality for the squad.
Trading John Wall is a crazy proposition. At times, Wall does try to do too much, but he still averages a team-high 9.3 assists per game. If anything, his teammates have shown Wall what they’re capable of and in the process, they’ve taken pressure off of him with the ball in his hands when he returns.
Next: 2017-18 Week 20 NBA Power Rankings
Wall’s durability is key to the Washington Wizards’ success now and in the future. His time off the court has been an eye-opening experience for everyone involved, including head coach Scott Brooks. Wall is expected to return sometime this month. Even if he doesn’t though, the Wizards look primed for a playoff run.