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The inconsistent Washington Wizards saw their 2020/21 NBA season end during the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Even though they managed to become a postseason team late in the year, the Wizards' campaign was unimpressive overall.
The much-anticipated Russell Westbrook-Bradley Beal combination often looked incongruous and only worked in certain instances. While it was good enough to help the Wizards make the NBA Playoffs, a healthier roster to support both players could help them progress further in the 2021/22 season.
3 Players likely to leave the Washington Wizards before the 2021/22 NBA season
The Washington Wizards put up a 34-38 record in the regular season before getting out of the Play-In tournament. They eventually fell to the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the first round.
Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the entire season for the fourth time in his career, while Beal finished second in points per game in the entire NBA. The team's defense was poor throughout the year (19th in the NBA) and that will be an area to address before the start of next season.
The Washington Wizards found their groove in the final month of the campaign with the best record between April 7th and May 16th at 15-6. They also ranked seventh in Defensive Rating in that stretch, and will look to stay at the same level more consistently in 2021/22.
Though the team made the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2018, there are likely to be some different names on the roster for next year.
In this article, we list three players who are unlikely to return for the Washington Wizards in the 2021/22 NBA season.
#3 Garrison Mathews
Garrison Mathews will be an unrestricted free agent during the 2021 NBA Free Agency and might leave the Washington Wizards. Mathews has played the first two seasons of his career with the Wizards and has appeared in 82 games (24 starts). Though he only averages 5.5 points per game, the 6' 5'' shooting guard has a career shooting split of 41.3/38.9/89.1.
His career percentage from the three-point line (38.9%) is quite good as well. Mathews attempted 3.1 threes per game last year and made 38.4% of those shots. However, his defense was inadequate for the Washington Wizards, as his 116 Defensive Rating was tied for the worst on the team.
With Wizards' GM Tommy Sheppard stating that the current side was not a "run-it-back" team, purchasing an established 3-and-D player could be a better option.
#2 Robin López
Robin López will be a helpful presence in the paint for some contending teams who need size and intensity off the bench. The 33-year-old center is coming off a solid year for the Washington Wizards, averaging nine points per game.
Now, entering the 2021 NBA Free Agency, López could be picked up by contenders looking for a good rim-protector and physicality in the paint. Moreover, the Washington Wizards have him and Alex Len as free agents and keeping Len as Thomas Bryant's back-up seems the wiser choice financially. Len is also the younger player between the two and has given a good account of himself, starting 40 games for the team last year.
López, on the other hand, has played in 13 NBA seasons and he averages 8.8 points, five rebounds and a block per game, while playing 22.1 minutes on average in each of those matches. He could be a potentially valuable asset for most teams next season.
#1 Ish Smith
Ish Smith had a good year for the Washington Wizards in his second campaign with the team. In the 2020-21 NBA season, he appeared in 44 games and started just once as Russell Westbrook's back-up point guard.
Smith is a seasoned veteran who averaged over 22 minutes per game in the postseason, but he is likely to leave in unrestricted free agency. This could partly be due to his fall in importance this season in comparison to his first campaign with the Wizards. Smith started 23 games and averaged over 10 points per game in his 68 appearances in the 2019/20 season.
The 32-year-old is also an average defender and has shot 32% from the three-point line in his career. Considering these drawbacks, the Washington Wizards might consider adding younger options who are more defensively sound to their roster next year.
Also read: Top 5 performances by LeBron James in the 2020-21 NBA season
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