3 reasons Washington Wizards will make the 2019 NBA Playoffs
2. Breakout performers are lurking
The Washington Wizards made the playoffs last season without John Wall in the lineup for 41 games. They began the season without Markieff Morris, who was also nursing an injury. It took some stepping up from fellow guard Bradley Beal, but entering the season with some breakout performers should certainly raise the bar.
This season, guys are healthy and ready to go. Otto Porter Jr. and Kelly Oubre Jr. are due for breakout seasons to break back into the old trend. Don’t be surprised to see both of them emerge with career seasons before it’s all said and done. Scott Brooks is begging Porter to shoot more 3-pointers after he attempted just 313 in 2017-18. He shot 44.1 percent from behind the arc last season, after all.
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Oubre is in the final season of his contract. A big performance from him this year could pay dividends in the long run. He’s next in line of young, talented forwards to find his way in the Wizards’ rotation.
Markieff Morris is in midseason form as well after getting ejected from the Wizards’ preseason opener against the New York Knicks. He plays his best in that mode, so expect a better performance this season from him. He averaged just 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 2017-18, down from his 2016-17 production.
The Wizards looked out of sync at times in 2017-18. At one juncture during the season, they went 8-4 in February and earned Scott Brooks the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award. After that, they went 7-15 to finish the season with a 43-39 record, well below their 49-win total the season before, They were eighth in the Eastern standings, but this season, with a deeper team, expect a better position in the 2019 playoff picture.