Where the Wizards top players can improve to help their playoff chances

Davis Bertans – Shot Selection

Look, I understand what I’m asking here. It’s hard to ask a guy who can seemingly spend an entire 48 minutes making the dumbest shots possible to take smarter looks.

Because it seems that lately, Davis Bertans is taking straight-up bad looks from deep.

In the Wizards’ most recent loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Latvian Laser spent the fourth quarter chucking up Hail Mary threes. And as you can imagine, the result wasn’t optimal. Bertans finished with 15 points for Washington, but on just 3-of-8 shooting from behind-the-arc.

Then, in Tuesday’s win over the Bulls, he had a questionable first two quarters of basketball. He finished a half where Washington shot 41 percent from deep on 2-of-7 shooting from three. The result? He didn’t touch the floor in the third until there was less than two minutes to go.

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There are probably a handful of players you want attempting seven shots from deep in a half, and Bertans is not on that list. He would go on to finish 2-of-9 from deep in regulation.

Most of his scoring and 3-point barrages have come at times where the Washington Wizards either have a comfortable lead, or are down so far that they have little impact on the game’s outcome.

As Washington continues to creep towards the playoffs, Bertans is going to have to fine-tune his shot selection, because at this point in the season–each one counts.

The Washington Wizards do have a slim chance at making the playoffs–something no one would have believed if you’d told them such in the November and December months.

But it’ll take three of their best guys: Davis Bertans, Troy Brown Jr. and Bradley Beal, improving where they need to most. If those three can get pick up the slack where they slack off most, then maybe the rest of the team will follow suit.

For now, the Washington Wizards will look to continue their chase for the East’s eighth seed on Wednesday night, when they travel to face the New York Knicks.