Predicting the 2022-23 Washington Wizards starting lineup

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards reacts to a play against the Brooklyn Nets during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 19, 2022 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. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

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Denver Nuggets, Will Barton (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) /

Washington Wizards projected starting small forward: Will Barton

Acquired along with Monte Morris from the Nuggets, Will Barton has gotten all of the preseason starts at small forward for his new team, so it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him occupy that role once the regular season starts.

Offensively, Washington hopes that Barton gives them some quality on and off-ball production. The team will certainly appreciate his shooting, particularly off the catch (38.2 percent last year), and he generates enough gravity as a tertiary ball handler to ease Morris and Beal’s load (82nd percentile in Box Creation). If the Wizards ask him to do more than that, something has gone horribly wrong.

The Wizards should be a little worried about Barton’s defense, especially if they plan on putting him in a lineup with Morris, Beal, and Kyle Kuzma. While he excelled at chasing around players (92nd percentile in BBall Index’s off-ball chaser metric) it’s another story when he’s asked to guard someone one-on-one (17th percentile). It’s another case of “good in specific situations, but don’t ask him to do too much”.

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