Are the Washington Wizards the favorite in the Southeast?

The Washington Wizards had an excellent season, getting back into the playoffs last year. In the offseason, they re-signed center Marcin Gortat but lost swingman Trevor Ariza to the Houston Rockets. They were able to replace him with a future Hall-of-Famer, Paul Pierce.

More from NBA

Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders believes the Wizards will win the Southeast Division this season.

"Brighter days are finally here for a Wizards franchise that had to go through some tough times to get to this point. With the backcourt of John Wall and Brad Beal, they are set for the foreseeable future. They’re also quite deep, physical and talented in the frontcourt, which is important in an Eastern Conference that now has Pau Gasol and Kevin Love featured on the two favorites to represent the conference in the NBA Finals. The addition of Paul Pierce really says a lot about how far the Wizards have come. Pierce is still a very productive player, but is at the point in his career where he only wants to play for a winner and compete at the highest level. He could have easily signed on with any contender of his choosing, but went with the Wizards, where he could potentially make the biggest impact of any of his potential destinations. Trevor Ariza was crucial for the team last year, but with Pierce, Glen Rice Jr. and Otto Porter – both of whom shined at the Las Vegas Summer League – the Wizards appear to be more than ready to take the next step forward toward becoming a serious contender."

With center Al Horford back from his pectoral injury, the Atlanta Hawks should be improved this season and the without LeBron James, the Miami Heat may no longer be a contender but they still be a tough out.

However, if Pierce can continue to play at a fairly high-level, the Wizards have an excellent chance to win the division.

Pierce, 36, put up 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 45.1% from the field, 37.3% from the three and 82.6% from the free throw line last season. In his 16-year NBA career, the 10th-overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft, has put up 21.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 44.7% from the field, 37.0% from beyond the arc and 80.7% from the charity stripe.

Be sure to check FanSided’s official NBA page to keep up to date on the latest news and rumors from around the league as we close in on the regular season.

More on FanSided.com

Klay Thompson better than Kobe Bryant says agent
Rajon Rondo rumors: Thunder shouldn’t trade Russell Westbrook for Rondo
Houston Rockets’ James Harden not elite?
Who’s the best center in the NBA?
Greg Oden’s drinking an issue for the Miami Heat?

Home/NBA