Washington Wizards 2013-14 season preview

The following post was contributed by Ben Mehic, FanSided’s editor for the Washington Wizards site, Wizard of Awes. Be sure to visit WizardofAwes.com for all of your Wizards news and rumors. 

Key Additions: Otto Porter Jr. (NBA Draft), Glen Rice Jr. (NBA Draft), Al Harrington (Free Agency), Eric Maynor (Free Agency)

Key Losses: A.J Price (Free Agency), Cartier Martin (Free Agency), Jason Collins (Free Agency)

Preview:

It’s been a long time since there’s been legitimate excitement about the Washington Wizards, but after half a decade of missing the NBA playoffs, this season has a different feeling surrounding it than in years past.

After starting out 5-28 without John Wall in the lineup due to a stress injury suffered during the offseason this past year, the Wizards finished the season 24-25 once they finally got their franchise player back in the rotation. With John Wall back and healthy, the Wizards have just as much of a chance at sneaking into the post season as any team in the Eastern Conference. Of course, John Wall cannot do it alone, but Bradley Beal has been the perfect complement to John Wall in the back court, providing the outside shooting and scoring touch the Wizards have been missing for quite some time.

Besides the back court, the Wizards will have to depend on their wing players and Nene for the majority of their scoring. Unlike some of the other teams around the league, the Wizards don’t exactly have one player who they could consistently call upon to score 20-25 points per game, carrying the majority of the offensive load throughout the season. The Wizards were dead last in offensive efficiency last season, but with a healthy John Wall in the lineup, you could certainly expect them to rise in the ranks.

Washington was ranked 8th in defensive efficiency, but without Emeka Okafor who’s out indefinitely with a herniated disc in his neck, the Wizards will rely on a collective effort to pick up the slack. As of right now, I’m not sure they have one player on the roster who could fill Okafor’s void, so it’s definitely a tad concerning. Randy Wittman has done a good job of having his players stay ready defensively, but without a defensive anchor, Washington could potentially find themselves in a deep hole.

With that said, I’d expect similar things to what we’ve seen from the Wizards this past season. There are only five teams in the eastern conference which are essentially a lock to make the post season (Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls), so the rest of the spots are up for grabs. I have no doubt that Washington will have one of the most productive back courts in the NBA, but they’ll need more than just John Wall and Bradley Beal to accomplish their playoff goals.

I can’t remember a season where the sense of urgency has increased this much in just one year. Washington has gone from being the laughingstock around the NBA, to a legitimate playoff contender in just a number of seasons. John Wall and Co. have made it clear that this season will be considered a failure unless they make the post season. Will they be able to make up for Okafor’s absence? How much will Otto Porter, who’s missed all of training camp and preseason be able to contribute this season?

Needless to say, a lot has to go right for Washington for them to be considered successful, but the majority of NBA pundits have considered them a playoff caliber team, at least in the Eastern Conference.