Ranking each NBA team’s All-Decade starting 5 from the 2010s
25. Washington Wizards 2010s all-decade starting lineup
- John Wall
- Bradley Beal
- Trevor Ariza
- Otto Porter Jr.
- Marcin Gortat
It feels like we haven’t seen John Wall at an All-Star level in forever on account of injury. But it was less than three years ago where he was making a compelling argument as a top-5 point guard in the 2017 playoffs, averaging 27.2 points with 10.3 assists along with pesky defense that translated to 1.7 steals a night as well.
That elite two-way production can go toe-to-toe with almost any point guard, and he’s got the ideal supporting cast to bring it out.
Ordinarily, a ball-dominant scorer like Bradley Beal wouldn’t quite mesh with a ball-dominant floor general like Wall, but the two All-Stars have proven to co-exist.
Able to score from anywhere, Beal is the unquestioned closer of this Washington Wizards team who has continued to improve both as a passer and maneuvering to his spots off the dribble.
Trevor Ariza and Otto Porter Jr. are the perfect complementary forwards, two lanky and versatile defenders who can stretch the court with their outside shooting.
Marcin Gortat is a liability defensively, but he’s long been one of the best screen-setters in the NBA. His stocky frame has benefited Wall and Beal on numerous occasions, and the spacing provided by Porter and Ariza will make Washington’s pick-and-roll difficult to halt.
Talent for this core of Wizards has never been the issue, but they’ve always lacked the discipline and internal aspects to make a deep playoff run.
Case and point: They had a Game 7 against Boston with a spot in the conference finals on the line in 2017 and Wall proceeded to shoot 8-of-23.
They’ve lost second-round elimination games on their home court in back to back playoffs. Up 2-1 to the Pacers in the 2014 conference semis, they blew a home lead as high as 19 and allowed the series to get knotted up.
At its best, this lineup could put a scare into some of the elite teams on this list. Given their mental makeup, how often that’s shown is anyone’s guess, and it’s why ranking them any higher is difficult to do.