Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Raptors

2. The starting rotation must change

Now, for the bad news. The Washington Wizards need to make some changes in their starting rotation and play more small-ball.

If anything is apparent, it is Washington’s starting rotation must change. After all, center Marcin Gortat only played 12 minutes after starting in Game 2 on Tuesday night. Gortat was 0-for-4 from the field with three rebounds in the game.

Through two games, the Wizards are generating a defensive rating of 119.4 as a team, second to last among playoff teams. In the series, Toronto is out-rebounding Washington 42.5-34.5 in rebounds per game.

On Tuesday night, every player in their starting lineup turned in a negative plus/minus. On the bright side, a few players off the bench turned in positive plus/minus scores. At this point in the season, it’s plug-and-play as the series goes along. Mike Scott is one player who could see himself plugged in the starting rotation for Game 3. He’s averaging 17.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range through two games, so a boost could very well improve the outcome for the Washington Wizards.

Another player who could be in the starting rotation is Ian Mahinmi. He’s shown his ability to get gritty in the post, getting to the free throw line a few times in Game 2. The Wizards could certainly use his post scoring for a change of pace as Bradley Beal continues to struggle shooting the ball.