Washington Wizards: 5 predictions for the 2018-19 NBA season

WASHINGTON, D.C. - OCTOBER 5: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards is introduced during a pre-season game against the Miami Heat on October 5, 2018 at Capital One Arena, in Washington, D.C. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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5. The Wizards will have a top-10 bench unit

The Wizards’ bench has been a struggle in the past few seasons. Last season, their bench gave up 36.8 points per game while scoring 35.3 points per contest themselves. In 2016-17, the bench unit surrendered 35.1 points per game and produced 26.6 points per game. This season, the Washington reserves have an opportunity to be a top-10 unit in the league.

The backcourt depth for the Washington Wizards upgraded with the addition of Austin Rivers. Adding Rivers takes some of the pressure off Tomas Sotaransky as a source of instant offense off the bench. Rivers produced a career-high 15.1 points and 4.0 assists per game as a starter for the Los Angeles Clippers last year. Those numbers aren’t likely to go down even as a reserve for the Wizards, especially with a slew of 3-point shooters around him.

Veteran forward Jeff Green is also another reserve to keep an eye on in Washington. Green shot 41.7 percent from 3-point range and scored in double figures in two of his five preseason appearances with his new squad.

Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tomas Satoransky are the mainstays on this reserve unit. Satoransky is due to turn a corner, as is Oubre. With both expected to continue developing, it’s hard not to expect a lot out of this year’s reserve unit for the Wizards.

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