NBA Playoffs 2017: 5 keys to Wizards vs. Celtics matchup

1. John Wall and Bradley Beal show out together

I mentioned earlier that we would get to this. If the Wizards are going to win this series, then Wall and Beal will have to continue to dominate. The question is which path to take?

Some would say to stagger their minutes like Wizards coach Scott Brooks eventually did when he was in Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, or what Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra did with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

The pros for staggering are there. As I’ve talked about ad nauseum, the Wizards have little depth, so allowing their two best scorers to play the entire game would make sense. But what about efficiency?

In the postseason, when the Wizards’ two best players are on the floor, the Wiz score 114.4 points per 100 possessions over 193 minutes, per NBAwowy. That would be fourth best in the playoffs. There’s no question that when the two of them are on the floor together, the Wizards’ offense can compete with the Celtics.

Apart, the duo has only played 38 minutes separately. The sample size is small, but lineups that feature Beal sans Wall have an 11.6 net rating, which supports staggering. Conversely, Wall lineups are awful without Beal, racking up a ridiculous -44.8 net rating.

Yet, when both players are out, that number shrinks to -5.

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So here is the challenge for Wizards coach Scott Brooks. Though Wall and Beal have both been off the floor for only 18 minutes, the Wiz fare better collectively than when they stagger their two best players. The issue with staggering is that you’re asking Beal and Wall — who play their best together — to play minus basketball for the sake of keeping at least one of them on the floor. Is staggering worth sacrificing six minutes per game where Wall and Beal could play together? We’ll find out.