Washington Wizards Playoff Recap

Wall and Beal helped Washington to a surprise playoff run

Result: 4-2 loss to the Indiana Pacers

Well, it was a good run, Randy Wittman. You took the Washington Wizards back to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season. You took them back to the semifinals for the first time since the 2004-05 season. You’re officially on the same coaching level as Eddie Jordan — slow clap. In all seriousness, the Wizards had an amazing season, and many think they could have given the Miami Heat fits if they played the defending champions in the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately for Washington, Indiana chose to show up for four games. Despite how close they were, the Wizards still over-performed. This was a team meant to play a one seed in the first round and ended up missing top-four-seed status by only four games. I reiterate: well done, Wittman.

But let’s look at what we learned from the Wizards’ playoff run:

1. John Wall and Bradley Beal are an All-Star duo

If you questioned it before — stop. Wall is a flat out, bona fide superstar. He averaged about 19 points and nine assists a game in the regular season. In the playoffs, he averaged 16 points and seven dimes. He proved to be a match-up nightmare for 29 other starting point guards because of his combination of speed, agility, athleticism and intelligence. It’s very rare to find a point guard who is both willing to create for his teammates and assertive enough to take over offensively. In Wall’s case, he also has Spiderman-like physical abilities… a possible explanation for the 1.8 steals a game, but I digress. He’s not the best three-point shooter, but he’s a very good mid-range shooter. Wall shot 37 percent from within the tree-point line but past 16 feet. And again, to be fair, during the season he shot 35 percent from deep. Wall just his a shooting slump from beyond the arc in the playoffs.

What makes Wall even more special is his ability to gel with Bradley Beal. Both have similar backgrounds. They were one-and-done players from big-time SEC schools. Wall may have gotten a national title, but that’s beside the point. Beal is the perfect compliment to Wall. He’s an athletic, smooth wing player who strikes fear with his consistent range. Beal averaged 17 points a game on 42 percent form the field and 40 percent from three. In the postseason, Beal led the Wizards with 19 points a game and shot 42 percent from three. Consistency, ladies and gentleman. It’s a valued trait in sports. If you asked me when the season began which team had the best backcourt in the league, I’d toss you Golden State before you could say “Splash Brothers.” Not to sound anti-climactic, but I still believe Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson hold the belt. However, Wall and Beal are now knocking on the door with jello — waiting to be welcomed to the neighborhood.

2. Either Trevor Ariza or Marcin Gortat will return

Though Washington had fantastic season, Trevor Ariza hasn’t been the most loyal player. I’m all for players getting paid, but the guy left his hometown Los Angeles Lakers high and dry even after winning an NBA title (Ariza was born in Florida, but he grew up in L.A.). Gortat and Nene Hilario combined to be a strong, dangerous duo in the frontcourt, but Gortat especially shined. He averaged 13 points a game and was 0.5 rebounds away from averaging a double-double. He’s 6-foot-11, 240 lbs and started 80 of the 81 games he played in this season. In the playoffs, he averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds a game. There’s the consistency we talked about earlier. Ariza had a solid 14 points a game this season and 13.6 points a game in the playoffs. Both were solid for Washington.

The problem occurs when you talk about what kinds of contracts both are going to demand because they’re free agents. In 2009, Ariza signed a five-year deal for about $34 million — just more than $7 million a year. He’s just now getting into his prime. He’s going to ask for a similar deal, if not more, from Washington this summer. The Wizards have about $18 million free in cap space. When the Orlando Magic matched an offer sheet from the Dallas Maverick in 2009 to make Gortat a Mark Cuban minion, the offer was for about $34 million and five years. So assuming Washington doesn’t make any other major moves to free cap space, and Ariza and Gortat get congruent contracts again… that puts Washington under by about $3 million. That won’t leave much room for draft picks or other free agents. Washington does have Otto Porter — despite a lackluster rookie season — he is still very talented.

Personally, I’d pick Gortat because of his ability to co-exist with Nene. I truly believe Washington will agree.

3. The jury is still out on Otto Porter

A hamstring injury and a hip flexor injury held Porter out of training camp and the first 22 games of the 2013-14 season. He missed out on invaluable time to grow before being thrown to the wolves. He only played in 37 games and averaged 2 points a game, but Whittman also gave him only nine minutes a game because Ariza and Martell Webster found a groove early. If Ariza bolts in free agency, that could open the door for Porter. An entire off-season working with Washington’s coaching staff could be extremely beneficial. Plenty of players had bad rookie years and eventually became great: Tony Parker, Scottie Pippen, Rajon Rondo, etc. Don’t forget Washington drafted Porter to stretch the floor. If he’s able to stay on the court. Porter could pair with Beal to be two of the purest shooters in the league. Add the to Wall’s blur of an offensive game, and Washington would be deadly. Don’t forget Porter is 20 years old. The kid can’t even order a beer at the Washington Nationals game. It’s too early to say he’s a bust.