Delon Wright‘s hamstring injury has forced Bradley Beal to initiate the Wizards’ offense more often, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes. There isn’t another traditional point guard on the roster outside of starter Monte Morris.
In the last two games, Beal only scored a combined 32 points. He also made a season-high four turnovers against Philadelphia on Monday.
“I’m going to try to do something that reads the flow of the game. It’s been a challenge, but at the same time, it’s where we are,” Beal said. “They’re depending on me. I’ve got to do a better job of taking care of the ball and making crisper and smarter decisions.”
We have more on the Wizards:
- While Wright’s absence affects the entire rotation, The Athletic’s Josh Robbins notes that the starting five was outplayed by its counterparts in losses to Indiana and Boston over the weekend.
- Anthony Gill was inserted into the lineup against the Sixers and his off-the-ball movement had a positive impact, according to Ava Wallace of the Washington Post. But outside of Kristaps Porzingis‘ 32 points, the Wizards continued to struggle at both ends while losing their third straight. Gill felt the team’s offensive issues spilled over to the defensive end. “We have a bunch of guys on our team who are capable of scoring 20 points a night, so when they aren’t scoring 20 points, it affects the defense,” Gill said. “They’re scorers, so when they’re not scoring, they’re not in the rhythm of the game.”
- Deni Avdija was the odd man out with Gill taking his spot in the lineup. Avdija went scoreless in 17 minutes off the bench but the Wizards are hopeful he’ll feel more comfortable with an expanded offensive role in the second unit, according to Hughes. “I trust the coaching staff and I trust myself to figure it out. I’ll be fine,” Avdija said.
Seems like what should be an opportunity for Johnny Davis, though I thought he was definitely overrated and overdrafted…he cant guard multiple positions, as Wright can, but he can guard at the guard spot, at least smaller guards, and if he is more willing to not be a ball stopper, he can be useful as a potential playmaker around their scorers/shooters for small stretches, and he is a competitor
Wizards should get no less than 70-75 a game EASILY with just the 5 of Beal, Kuzma, Porzingis, Morris, and Hachi.
That would lead one to think out of Barton, Gafford, Gill, Avdija, Kispert, Davis, etc. they should be able to get another 30-40 no problem..
Scoring should never be their issue, but for the Wizards to live up to their potential they’re going to have to turn defense into offense on the nights their shots aren’t falling.
Unfortunately, I’m not so sure they can accomplish that with any regularity, so you’re likely to see them continue to rotate winning and losing streaks and overall turn in inconsistent performances.