Even without their superstar, the Wizards find ways to thrive

With the tight playoff races in the Eastern and Western Conferences growing closer by the week, there is something to be said for consistently lingering in the middle, without rising above the fray or sinking too far below it. Such has been a pattern for the Washington Wizards, who, at 35-25, haven’t won or lost more than five games in a row at any point this season despite missing John Wall for more than 20 games — and counting.

At present, Washington is fourth in the East, right about where most forecasted them before the year. And yet, whether due to injuries, indifference, internal dynamics or some combination of the three, this team’s best basketball only surfaces on rare, exhilarating occasions. Only recently have the Wizards found consistent rhythm and stability. Inserting an All-Star into the mix will be tricky and isn’t quite as easy as everyone simply reverting back to old roles and tendencies.

Washington is 9-3 during Wall’s current spell of inactivity, thanks in large part to Bradley Beal’s growing comfort as a night-to-night first option. His efficiency has dipped slightly under a heavier workload, but he’s broadened the range of his offensive capabilities and discovered how to adjust his game to fit whatever Washington needs.

Read More: Which young guys should play more down the stretch?

At his core, Beal is still a scorer first, capable of heating up at any moment, and the Wizards often have to lean on him as such. Any cracks that may form over the course of a given possession, he papers over with a stroke as pure as any in the league:

He has every move in his bag, each one honed to a point of masterful precision in all levels of the floor. His handle is crisp and his footwork pristine. Take one option away, and Beal will seamlessly shift course to find another:

Lately, he’s become increasingly functional as a playmaker. Beal’s assist percentage, time of possession and touches per game have swelled since Jan. 27, while his scoring and usage are down slightly. He’s approaching Wall in pick-and-roll volume and surpasses him in efficiency by a wide margin. While he doesn’t have the same omniscient vision of the floor, his improvement as a passer helps Washington approximate Wall’s dynamism, albeit imperfectly:

Without Wall driving every action with his burst and vigor, sharing the ball and creating opportunity through motion becomes more vital than ever. Beal alone cannot make up for the absence of Wall, so Scott Brooks has distributed responsibilities more equitably in recent weeks. The Wizards have jumped from 27th in passes per game to ninth over their last 12 games, and assist on a higher percentage of their baskets with Wall off the floor. The result is a looser, less predictable attack in which improvised drive-and-kick sequences often produce better looks than scripted sets:

Occasionally, that unselfishness borders on overpassing. But it’s easier to rein in eager passers than to coax ball-movement out of a stagnant bunch. Playing within less rigid constraints has empowered Washington’s supporting cast to play aggressively and make decisions on the fly. Instead of standing around or forcing shots, they move to create easy buckets. The spaces once reserved for Wall and Beal’s two-man games now double as channels for drives and cuts.

The Wizards’ roster construction makes for fascinating, and potentially potent, theoretical lineup configurations. Tomas Satoransky, Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre are long, interchangeable and skilled wings capable of sliding across several positions. Several of Washington’s best lineups use wing-heavy looks with Markieff Morris at center, something that should be a fixture in the playoffs. Porter, soaking up more scoring responsibility, is solid in nearly every possible capacity. Satoransky just fits. He leads the team in 3-point percentage and ranks third among NBA rotation players in assist-to-turnover ratio, while his capability as an initiator frees Beal to work off the ball. Oubre’s development into a capable 3-and-D wing feels critical to Washington’s ability to hang with the best teams in the conference.

Next: John Wall and that greener grass on the other side

This all complicates the timing and logistics of Wall’s return. The Wizards have developed new habits without him, and he’ll have to figure out how to fit in within that context while still preserving the qualities that make him special. Wall is crucial to his team’s makeup, but in some ways, he limits its stylistic possibilities. Still, so much of his value stems from elevating his teammates. When he returns to the court, he and the Wizards will be working from a higher baseline.