What the Wizards are missing

The big men on Washington's team all have defined roles. Emeka Okafor rebounds the ball extremely well, gets you easy buckets under the rim, and is a pretty good one-on-one defender. Nene gives you low post offense and has a nice mid-range jumper. Kevin Seraphin, comes off the bench with a game very similar to Nene but more raw. Trevor Booker brings tons of energy off of the bench. The one thing the Wizards are missing is a big who can defend the paint and grab offensive rebounds. This could be a guy who comes off the bench but Washington needs a big man who  blocks and alters shots, and deters offenses from going inside. John Wall is extremely one-dimensional at this stage of his career. His jump shot hasn't quite developed into what it's potential was thought to be. He's one of the fastest players in the NBA and can penetrate the lane with ease, however in a half-court game, teams can play him much like Rajon Rondo where they back off. This allows for crowded passing lanes and more double-team opportunities on his teammates. If Wall can improve his mid-range and three-point shooting this will create even more opportunities on the floor for offense.It seems like at least once a game the Wizards go through huge droughts of just bad basketball. The offense suddenly halts, turnovers increase, and points become hard to come by. Maybe it's fatigue from the starters combined with a bench that doesn't have a lot of scorers but it's really hard to watch. The Wizards have to become more consistent offensively and find ways to complete their sets and score the basketball for an entire four quarters. They also have to take better care of the basketball if they want to compete game-in and game-out.View the list »
The Wizards are just a few pieces away from being playoff ready.

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The Wizards completed a two-game season sweep over the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night with a 88-79 win at US Airways Center, the second victory over Phoenix in five days.

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The Wizards have shown flashes of a playoff contender throughout the season with wins over some of the NBA's best teams.

They have a point guard who can get into the paint for easy buckets and create open shots for his teammates.

They have great spot up shooters who can knock down the open three-pointer and spread the floor.

They also have a great defensive scheme with players who can stay in front of their men in one-on-one situations.

Because of these things, Washington has the potential of grabbing one of the top eight spots in the eastern conference next season, but there are a few things missing from this team that separates them from the real contenders.

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  • It seems like at least once a game the Wizards go through huge droughts of just bad basketball. The offense suddenly halts, turnovers increase, and points become hard to come by. Maybe it's fatigue from the starters combined with a bench that doesn't have a lot of scorers but it's really hard to watch. The Wizards have to become more consistent offensively and find ways to complete their sets and score the basketball for an entire four quarters. They also have to take better care of the basketball if they want to compete game-in and game-out.
  • John Wall is extremely one-dimensional at this stage of his career. His jump shot hasn't quite developed into what it's potential was thought to be. He's one of the fastest players in the NBA and can penetrate the lane with ease, however in a half-court game, teams can play him much like Rajon Rondo where they back off. This allows for crowded passing lanes and more double-team opportunities on his teammates. If Wall can improve his mid-range and three-point shooting this will create even more opportunities on the floor for offense.
  • The big men on Washington's team all have defined roles. Emeka Okafor rebounds the ball extremely well, gets you easy buckets under the rim, and is a pretty good one-on-one defender. Nene gives you low post offense and has a nice mid-range jumper. Kevin Seraphin, comes off the bench with a game very similar to Nene but more raw. Trevor Booker brings tons of energy off of the bench. The one thing the Wizards are missing is a big who can defend the paint and grab offensive rebounds. This could be a guy who comes off the bench but Washington needs a big man who  blocks and alters shots, and deters offenses from going inside. 
  • Garrett Temple has actually shown flashes of being a pretty decent scorer but the fact remains that he's on the floor for his defense. Along with backup point guard A.J. Price, Temple is part of the reason the Wizards offense can go through droughts. There is certainly a place on the team and plenty of minutes to go around for Temple, but the Wizards need a player who can come off the bench and create instant offense. Jordan Crawford used to be that guy, but as a defensive liability, the Wizards traded him to the Boston Celtics. Maybe LeAndro Barbosa, who the Wizards got in return for Crawford will be that guy when he returns next year from a torn ACL. 
  • All championship teams have a player, or players with a killer instinct. When the game is hanging in the balance they take over and carry the team on their back. The Wizards don't have anyone that can carry this team on their back, yet, but hey may not have to look outside of their roster to find this guy. John Wall has a killer instinct mentality but not the skill-set yet to be that guy. Once his jumper is more consistent he can definitely be that guy because he wants the ball in his hands in clutch moments. Bradley Beal is another guy who could thrive in these moments. The rookie has shown the ability to score in bunches this season when healthy, but he's been on and off the floor with injuries. Beal has a flawless looking jump shot and with more experience he and Wall could become a back court that dominates games when the rest of the team is struggling.
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, Arlington Sports Examiner

Prince Jared Grimes or "Prince J" is a 2010 graduate of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and mass communications. Prince covered Aggies basketball, football & baseball, among other things for the university's newspaper ...

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