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The Washington Wizards have been struggling for the past couple of years. They lost in the first round of the playoffs three years ago and haven't made the playoffs since. However this season the team is expected to excel due to their new acquisition of All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook. Their shooting guard and main player, Bradley Beal, is one of the best scorers in the league and averaged a whopping 30 points per game last season.
A lot of the attention is going to be on the Wizards as people are excited to see the backcourt duo of Beal and Westbrook thrive in the capital. They are two of the most skilled scorers and their combined playmaking ability will improve the rest of the roster as well.
Washington Wizards 2020-21 NBA Season Preview: A chance at a playoff spot
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As mentioned earlier, Beal averaged 30 points per game last season but couldn't quite lift his team to success due to the lack of All-Star help on his roster. The addition of Russell Westbrook changes that and the Washington Wizards have now gone from a lottery prospect to a potential playoff spot. The two are expected to become one of the most high-scoring duos and both can feed off of each other because of their playmaking abilities.
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If everyone on the squad remains healthy, the team can easily aim for around 30 wins in the season, considering the 2020-21 season is 10 games shorter. Russell Westbrook expressed his seriousness to play for the franchise by showing up hours early to practice.
Washington Wizards 2019-20 NBA Season Record
Regular Season: 25-47 (.347)
Conference: 9th seed (Eastern)
Division: 3rd position (Southeast)
Playoffs: Did not qualify
Key Acquisitions
G Russell Westbrook, C Robin Lopez, F Deni Avdija
The highlight of the Washington Wizards offseason was the John Wall-Russell Westbrook blockbuster swap. John Wall hadn't played an NBA game for almost two years and most analysts believe the Wizards won the trade. Russell Westbrook is an All-NBA level talent who averaged a triple-double for three straight seasons. The 2017 league MVP holds the record for most triple-doubles in a season (42) and is second in all-time career triple-doubles (146).
The Washington Wizards had the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and selected Deni Avdija from Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel. Avdija was one of the best forwards in the draft class and many consider it a blessing for the Wizards that he was still available at the ninth position. He has excellent playmaking ability and is an ambidextrous scorer and passer.
Washington Wizards Predicted Lineup
G Russell Westbrook, G Bradley Beal, F Deni Avdija, F Davis Bertans, C Thomas Bryant
Complete Roster
G Isaac Bonga, F Troy Brown, F Yoeli Childs, F Anthony Gill, F Rui Hachimura, G Caleb Homesley, C Robin Lopez, G Raul Neto, F Anžejs Pasečņiks, G Jerome Robinson, G Ish Smith, G Marlon Taylor, F Moritz Wagner
Overview
Many analysts drew concerns over the potential pairing of Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, due to Westbrooks' ball-dominant style of play. Fans anticipate that Beal will no longer be able to average over 30 points per game because he will have to share the ball a lot more often. It is natural for points to go down once you join forces with an All-Star, however, Russell Westbrook put all the speculations to rest when he issued his statement as a Wizard,
"Brad is a superstar talent. He proved that and showed that last year... and he’s only going to get better. My job is to come in and continue to uplift him and try to push him to be better and that’s all I’m here for."
Bradley Beal is one of the most underappreciated players in the NBA. He has been averaging incredible numbers the past few seasons, and despite posting 30.5 points per game on 52 percent shooting last season, he was snubbed off of all three All-NBA teams. He called the All-NBA and All-Star snubs "disrespectful" and said that the selection process "doesn't make sense".
The Washington Wizards are banking on the partnership of Beal and Westbrook and their success will allow the team to get better over time. Westbrook has significant playoff experience and he can guide the squad during the grueling postseason.
Prediction for the Washington Wizards' 2020-21 NBA season
Apart from the backcourt, the Washington Wizards don't feature any other All-Star-caliber players. The rest of the roster will need to drastically improve their game for his team to get successful. Beal and Westbrook's playmaking will elevate the Wizards' offense and the franchise can draft and acquire players over time to eventually turn this into a potential Finals run.
Deni Avdija is one of the rookies who has the potential to win Rookie of the Year, and he is certainly one to keep an eye on. The Washington Wizards aren't expected to make a deep playoff run as their roster is underwhelming compared to some of the other Eastern Conference teams. However, their newly found partnership can usher an era of success for the franchise.
Also Read: NBA Free Agency 2020: 5 Players who may be forced to retire
