Hoops Habit
Fansided

Eastern Conference chaos paving way for Washington Wizards playoff berth

By Collin Loring

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 12: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on February 12, 2020 in New York City. The Wizards defeated the Knicks 114-96. 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. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 12: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on February 12, 2020 in New York City. The Wizards defeated the Knicks 114-96. 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. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
Washington Wizards (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Washington Wizards (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

All eyes are on the Eastern Conference playoff race, with the Washington Wizards surging and other teams in a tailspin. Could chaos aid their quest?

The Washington Wizards are 20-33, and nowhere near being disqualified from the Eastern Conference playoff picture. In fact, their chances are growing by the day, with FiveThirtyEight’s most recent data suggesting they have an 18 percent chance at the postseason.

More from Hoops Habit

Bradley Beal closed out the first half of the season on a blistering hot tear, and his points per game average is up to 29.1, a career-high. Davis Bertans may have not won the 3-Point Shootout during the All-Star break, but he is averaging 3.1 makes from deep over his last 10 games.

Ian Mahinmi continues to hold down the frontcourt defense, and rookie Rui Hachimura has seemingly cleared the rookie wall with 29 games to go.

Oh, and the bottom half of the East is falling out, which is certainly helping the Wizards chances.

Still, despite the chaos swirling through the East, the Washington Wizards have a tough final stretch. Tankathon has their remaining schedule as the fourth toughest among the league, and they sit surrounded by almost exclusively bottom-feeding teams in the top 10.

But, one can’t help but notice that the Eastern Conference has reverted back to its true nature–a disarray of below .500 teams scrapping their way into the eighth seed. A look at the three teams above Washington, where they sit coming out of the All-Star break, and how it affects the Wiz.

Home/Washington Wizards