The Wizards entered the summer with a 24-40 record, worst among the 22 teams invited to Orlando, and things haven’t improved in the last week. Washington is off to an 0-3 start, with a Sunday loss to the Nets potentially driving a dagger into the team’s postseason aspirations.
Although they aren’t technically eliminated from playoff contention yet, the Wizards could be as soon as today. The NBA announced this morning that Washington will be eliminated from the playoffs if they lose to Philadelphia today and the Magic and Nets both win their games.
Orlando and Brooklyn have tough matchups on tap, against the Raptors and Celtics, respectively, so the Wizards’ playoff chances may well survive another day or two. But now that they’re 7.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Magic, it looks like just a matter of time before the Wizards’ odds of forcing a play-in tournament dip to zero.
Here are a few more notes on the Wizards:
- Although the Wizards haven’t won a game at Walt Disney World yet, the opportunity to have 21-year-old Troy Brown closing Monday’s loss at point guard is an example of the value the franchise sees in playing these games, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “We have to see what we have in a lot of different positions. These are great minutes,” head coach Scott Brooks said. “That’s why we’re here. We’re here to get better and we’re here to improve.”
- Brown’s ball-handling opportunities figure to be cut back next season when John Wall and Bradley Beal return. However, Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports Washington makes the case that the Wizards should still find ways to get the ball into the second-year guard’s hands, since that plays to his strengths.
- The young players seeing action for the Wizards this summer aren’t just auditioning for roles in next season’s rotation, Hughes writes for NBC Sports Washington. In Hughes’ view, those players could become more appealing trade assets if they take positive steps forward during the restart, increasing the team’s offseason options.
- Assuming the Wizards are eliminated from the playoffs, they’ll enter the August 20 draft lottery with the ninth-best odds and a 4.5% shot at the No. 1 pick. Washington’s full tentative lottery odds can be found right here.
Bucks rest all starters vs Nets
They don’t want Nets to draft first overall pick because it would Nets would kill Bucks next year
What do you mean? In the second half they did, but Giannis and Middleton played the first half at high tempo and they still lost to a G-League squad managed by a coach with the initials JV. Anyone who put a grand down on the Nets to win straight up yesterday would’ve come away with $16,000 I believe.
Bucks starters played in the first half. Sure they sat in the second half, but the Nets didn’t have their top 7 players in KD Kyrie Dinwiddie Allen Levert Harris Jordan and the therefore should’ve lost to Milwaukee
Nets are in 7th, a half game ahead of the Magic after the win over the Bucks and the Magic’s loss to the Pacers.
Bucks are locked in for top spot. And I want to see them in Finals. But I gotta tell you. They look lackadaisical to me. Like they can turn it on when they want to. That’s not a winning attitude. Especially for a team that hasn’t won yet. I know Bledsoe will help. Too much Giannis at PG for me. It’s worse than Ben and Sixers lols.
“”These are great minutes,” head coach Scott Brooks said.”
What I’m sayin’bout the tourney22.
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Agree with KA, the Bucks don’t look like a team that could win even without Giannis, like they normally do IMO. Maybe not win a title, but look even smoother. Doesn’t happen often tho, Giannis is an ironman.