Fansided

Washington Wizards 2015-16 NBA season preview

By Tom West

Oct 21, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) in the second half of a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 110-105. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) in the second half of a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 110-105. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 8
Next
May 15, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles as Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder (17) defends during the second half in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles as Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder (17) defends during the second half in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Offensive Breakdown

When a team has an All-Star point guard who produces 17.6 points and 10 assists per game, it tends to revolve the offense around that player. For the Wizards, that man is John Wall, and there aren’t many players with his well rounded combination of playmaking, explosiveness, defense, and driving ability in the league.

From his high flying rejections to his 360 spinning layups, Wall is the face of the Wizards. His finishing around the rim has always been exceptional, and with a career field goal percentage of 62.3 percent within three feet of the basket, that much can’t be disputed. However, after expanding his range and recording a three point percentage of at least 30 for only the second time in his five year career last season, he continues to improve. He even achieved career highs in accuracy from 10-16 feet out (41.9 percent) and 16+ feet out (39.5 percent).

He’s their MVP at both ends of the floor on most nights and it’s that simple. Without him they trail opponents by 8 points per 100 possessions, and instantly turn themselves around to lead by an average of 4.2 with him. Once again this season, Wall will frequently put the team on his back.

The next key component is Beal. After missing time last season and still being just 22 years old, he has an opportunity to take his game to another level this year. With averages of 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, including shooting splits of 42.7/40.9/78.3, Beal is a potent offensive weapon. It’s his perimeter shooting that makes him such a threat, but he needs to reduce the amount of long twos he takes if he’s going to maximize his efficiency. So, if he stops taking 27.7 percent of his shots from 16-24 feet out as he did last season, Beal may find even more success in 2015-16 in a fast paced, free flowing offense.

This season, Wizards head coach Randy Wittman intends to use a new, fast-paced and constantly moving offense in 2015-16. If they can utilize Beal (who could be poised to breakout) and their new three point threats, they could be a nightmare for teams to keep up with. The bruising strength of their frontcourt, combined with Wall’s terrifying speed and shooters on the perimeter is a recipe for improvement.

At least enough improvement to make them rank higher than 19th in offensive efficiency.

Whether or not it’s enough improvement to take them past their plateau of 5th place in the East is another question, though.

Next: Defensive Breakdown

Home/NBA