Washington Wizards: Who to avoid in the 2018 NBA Playoffs
The Eastern Conference is so bundled up not a single team could figure out who their round one matchup is yet. For the Washington Wizards, a good first round matchup could mean everything.
Right now the Washington Wizards sit as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. They’re 13.5 games back from the first-seeded Toronto Raptors. With just eight games left in the regular season, the Wizards most likely won’t be able to get the 1-seed, 2-seed or 3-seed.
Even the fourth-place Philadelphia 76ers seem heavily in control to stay in front of the Wizards. Due to the congestion in the East, spots 5-8 have just five games between them.
The Wizards, who have been without star point guard John Wall since Jan. 27, have found themselves struggling to stay afloat recently, going 4-6 in their last 10 games. The buzz about the Wizards playing with a newfound energy without Wall has quickly died down. The team more than ever needs their stay playmaker and hoop getter.
But playoff seeding is a tricky thing. Obviously being a top seed comes with perks (mainly in the form of home-court advantage), but sometimes matchup is even more important. In light of that, we’ll be taking a look at each of the possible opponents the Washington Wizards could face in the 2018 NBA Playoffs and which team they should hope falls to them in the first round.
Scenario 1 – The Wizards fall to the 8-seed and face the Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have breathed new life into their organization this season. Some who were initially concerned that the team just re-signed its players have been unprepared for the philosophical change in offense Dwayne Casey has implemented.
The team is fourth in the league this season in 3-point attempts. Last year they were 21st. Casey has created a Raptors team that fits better into the modern NBA, with one of the deepest rosters in recent memory.
The Wizards and Raptors played four times in the 2017-18 NBA season. They split the series 2-2, each winning one home and one away game. While nobody will want to play this new Toronto Raptors team, the Wizards have played them well this year. Their deep bench is the biggest concern as the Wizards have a weak second unit that will likely not be able to stop the likes of C.J. Miles and Fred VanVleet.
Scenario 2 – The Wizards fall to the 7-seed and face the Boston Celtics
Most people remember the insane back-and-forth series between the Wizards and Boston Celtics last year. The series went to a crazy Game 7 with an unlikely hero in Kelly Olynyk, and a tough, clutch shot from John Wall.
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These teams don’t like each other much — so much the Wizards once wore all black to a game against the Celtics, calling it their funeral. A healthy Boston Celtics team would most likely destroy a healthy Washington Wizards team, but both statements are far from being true.
John Wall and Kyrie Irving are both out at the moment, hoping for a return before or early into the playoffs. The Celtics are obviously without new signee and star Gordon Hayward, and are missing defensive stopper Marcus Smart as well. In a fortunate scenario where John Wall is back and healthy and Kyrie Irving is still out, this is actually a decent matchup for the Wizards. The team will have a better starting core unless Terry Rozier can find another level.
These teams even put on a show in the regular season. To date, they’ve played three times, two of which have ended in overtime. The Wizards lead that series 2-1 with one more game to come in April. This is a matchup the Wizards should want, even with the fear of being out-coached by Brad Stevens.
Scenario 3 – The Wizards stay the 6-seed and face the Cleveland Cavaliers
This is probably the scariest scenario of them all. Statistics may not really be able to help in this one. The only thing that really matters is you do not want to play LeBron James in the playoffs.
Over the last 10 games, LeBron is averaging 32.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 9.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Those are insane numbers! That’s almost a triple-double with great defensive stats. His field goal percentage is at 58.2 percent. These numbers are insane. Nobody, including the Wizards, will want to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
Scenario 4 – The Wizards move up to the 5-seed and face the Philadelphia 76ers
This one might be the toughest of all to judge. The 76ers are essentially a brand new team. Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and now Markelle Fultz haven’t played a lick of NBA playoff basketball in their careers. Usually rookies aren’t ones to rely on in the playoffs, let alone the regular season.
However, this team is young, fast, big and most importantly, hungry. When you compound that with home-court advantage and bloodthirsty fans, it’s not ideal. The Wizards and 76ers went 2-2 in the 2017-18 regular season, meaning both teams will have a chance.
I, as well as many others will be curious to see what these young players bring to the table come playoff time. The 76ers most likely won’t have an answer for Bradley Beal and John Wall as a backcourt, but the Wizards will definitely not have an answer for Joel Embiid and Dario Saric down low. This is also a matchup the Wizards should try and avoid.
Scenario 5 – The Wizards either fall or jump up to face the Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are the surprise team of the NBA this year. After trading away their star player Paul George, nobody thought the team would currently sit at the 5-seed (eight games over .500).
Victor Oladipo has elevated his game to All-Star level. On top of that, Myles Turner is developing well and Darren Collison is averaging the second-best 3-point percentage in the league (45.7 percent), behind only Jose Calderon.
This team plays with a ton of energy, something the Wizards would be able to match no problem. While there probably isn’t a great answer to Victor Oladipo, and his defensive prowess would make Bradley Beal sweat, this matchup isn’t one to be as worried about. The Wizards are ahead 2-1 in the regular season series.
Scenario 6 – The Wizards rise up or the Milwaukee Bucks rise up even more to face each other
I don’t think anybody wants to play Giannis Antetokounmpo in the playoffs. He’s been a top-five MVP candidate the entire season and has averaged impressive career high stats in points, rebounds and field goal percentage. No team in the league really has a good answer for the 6’11″ monster.
The team has had problems winning games, however. They’ve recently switched schemes from the Jason Kidd-led trap defense and are still adjusting. Jabari Parker finally came back but seems to be a liability on defense. On top of all of that, John Henson and Thon Maker are not cutting it down low for them.
A team should always be worried if the best player on the court belongs to the other team, but this is a rare matchup where the Wizards might be able to out-coach their opponent. The Wizards and Bucks are tied 2-2 in the regular season series.
Scenario 7 – The Wizards and Miami Heat rise to face each other
The Miami Heat are a very peculiar and interesting team. Their best attributes against the rest of the league are defensive rebounding percentage and 3-point attempts. They’re a top-10 team defensively in the league and a tough outing.
Hassan Whiteside is a great rim protector, Goran Dragic can manage an offense and James Johnson is someone you don’t want to get matched up against. On top of all of that, Eric Spoelstra is a fantastic coach who knows a thing or two about playoff basketball.
Next: 2017-18 Week 24 NBA Power Rankings
The teams are tied in the regular season series, 2-2. While there are much worse matchups for the Wizards, this one could prove to be deceivingly tough for a first round matchup.