Washington Wizards Season Review: Player Grades

The Washington Wizards won more games this year than they had in any season since 1979. They must have been incredible, right?

No, they won 46 games, stumbled to the finish line, and ended up fifth.

On January 14, Washington was 27-12 after completing a back-to-back sweep over the Spurs and Bulls, and looked like a mortal lock for 50+ wins and much greater things. Instead, they only made modest gains from last year, and the second round is probably as far as they can get.

But you know what? This is still probably the best D.C. team most of us have ever seen. It wasn’t always good, it wasn’t always fun, but it was actually occasionally pretty dang respectable. And how often can you say that about this team?

All season long, I’ve been grading players based solely off their performance in the preceding week. This week, I’m grading them based on their performance in the season as a whole.

I’ll start by giving a B- to the Wizards as an entity, a D- to Randy Wittman, and a big A+ to Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier.

And now to the team.

Let’s grade.

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

John Wall: 17.6 PPG (44.5 FG%), 4.6 RPG, 10.0 APG, 1.7 SPG

Last year, John Wall became an All-Star. This year, John Wall became a superstar.

Johnathan Hildred Wall beguiled us with yo-yo dribbles and turned our heads (although not necessarily in the correct direction) with 360 layups this season, firmly establishing himself as one of the very best players in the game of basketball.

Wall came into the league with almost unlimited potential, and against all odds, he’s actually fulfilling that potential. He’s the franchise. He’s the guy you pay money to see, in a city and on a team that has had so few of those types of athletes over the years.

He’s also a pretty awesome human being. Man, the Wizards really hit the jackpot.

Grade: A

Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Bradley Beal: 15.3 PPG (42.7 FG%), 3.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.2 SPG

After a torrid performance in the 2014 playoffs, everyone expected Bradley Beal to take the next step. Instead, the Big Panda’s 2014-15 was pretty underwhelming.

It’s not that he was bad – and the Washington Wizards missed him immensely when he was injured midseason – but he wasn’t able to build on his momentum from last year’s playoffs.

He made some strides: he was quietly an above-average defender this year and he looked noticeably more confident handling the ball and driving to the basket – he’s also still one of the best 3-point shooters in the league. He’s just so tragically misused in this offense.

Beal’s shooting numbers from anywhere on the court that wasn’t at the rim or beyond the arc were atrocious: 37% from 10-16 feet, 33% from 16 feet out to the 3-point line, and a ridiculous 29% from 3 to 10 feet.

Let’s not get down on the kid, though. He’s just 21 years old and he’s shown that he can get his, even when he’s been played to his weaknesses.

He’ll be just fine if the Wizards get a real coach. If.

Grade: B-

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Pierce: 11.9 PPG (44.7 FG%), 4.0 RPG, 2.0 APG

It’s funny to imagine that Paul Pierce, one of the greatest players of his generation, might be playing out the last years of his career with the Washington Wizards.

I’d say he doesn’t deserve it, but then I realize that I really don’t care! I have lived in mortal terror of that man for decades of my life, and it’s still surreal to see him do his Paul Pierce: Soul Assassin routine while on the Washington Wizards, which is the team that actually currently employs Paul Pierce in real life. Because Paul Pierce is on the Wizards.

Once you get past the shock and awe of Paul Pierce being on the Wizards (because LOL Paul Pierce is on the Wizards now), he was actually pretty good, if inconsistent, on the basketball court this year. He was, surprisingly, a plus defender this year even at the tender age of 37, and after some early struggles, he ended up shooting his best 3-point percentage in five years.

This old snake’s still got some venom left, and if he can come up strong in the playoffs (and it’s hard to imagine that he won’t be ready to bring it) the Wizards could be a force to be reckoned with.

Grade: B

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Nene: 11.0 PPG (51.1 FG%), 5.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG

Healthy and motivated, Maybyner Rodney Hilario is Washington’s best all-around big man since Moses Malone.

He doesn’t often put up flashy statlines, but he’s an absolute rock on both ends of the floor, a raging bull with dancer’s feet and irie dreads. The Washington Wizards reaped the benefits of a largely healthy Nene this year: 67 games’ worth, the most he’s played in a single season in four years.

Nene doesn’t always bring it every night, and I doubt that he’s really physically capable of really bringing it every night – Nene’s always been very conscious of his physical limitations. But when he’s really into it, he’s a joy to watch.

Let’s stare at some Nene Anger Jams now, thank you.

Grade: B

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Marcin Gortat: 12.2 PPG (56.6 FG%), 8.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.3 BPG

12 points and less than 9 rebounds a game are relatively modest numbers for a starting center of Marcin Gortat’s caliber, but they’re really impressive when you consider that: A. the offense very rarely played to his strengths this season, and B. he went through long stretches of the season where he didn’t play in the fourth quarter, for reasons that are still undetermined and in all likelihood completely infuriating.

Gortat was easily Washington’s second-best player for much of the season, especially in the second half, when the Polish Hammer was bossing puny weak men and tossing up double-doubles like it was nothing. Worth every penny.

Grade: B+