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Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener

By Jerran Anderson

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 18: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat and John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards look on during the game on October 18, 2018 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. 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)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 18: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat and John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards look on during the game on October 18, 2018 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. 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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Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images /

2. The offense still needs work

Washington got the typical performance from their usual suspects in the first regular season game. John Wall and Bradley Beal were their aggressive selves. Wall scored 26 points, doing well to get to the free throw line all night long, as well as get his teammates involved. Beal struggled to find a rhythm due to foul trouble but still put up 20 points.

Beal and Wall took a combined 32 of the team’s 81 shot attempts. The other three starters combined for 17 shots. Jeff Green, the only other player to take more than eight shot attempts, went 6-for-12 from the field, finishing with 17 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Rivers and Oubre did combine for 14 points in the first half, but each finished the game with nine points apiece. Porter finished with a team-high 11 rebounds, but he still looked out of sync on offense, finishing 3-of-7 shooting with nine points.

At one point, Wall, Rivers, Oubre, Green and Porter were on the floor at the same time during the third quarter. The lineup ended up going on a late scoring run to give the Wizards an 89-85 lead. With Dwight Howard out with a back injury, head coach Scott Brooks will really have to test the versatility of this group to find some victories.

One big focus entering the regular season was shooting more 3-pointers. The Wizards ranked 23rd in the NBA last season, shooting 26.5 3-pointers per contest. Thursday night, they attempted 26 3-pointers. The Wizards will need to work on more ways to put guys in scoring position, especially if they want to shoot more 3s or they could be in for another long season.

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