Washington Wizards Player Grades: Week 20

Good news, everyone! It doesn’t really suck to be a Washington Wizards fan anymore! I mean, any more than usual, at least.

The Wizards have finally found a groove again and are angling for home court in the Eastern Conference first round, recently reeling off a five-game win streak that included huge wins over Portland and a surging Utah Jazz team. Tough run of games upcoming. Regular season hitting the home stretch. It’s make-or-break time.

Let’s grade.

Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

John Wall: 23.8 PPG (50.7 FG%), 6.5 RPG, 9.8 APG, 1.0 SPG

Fact: John Wall is the greatest pro basketball player in DC since Wes Unseld.

Fact: John Wall is as important and valuable to his team as any single player in the NBA.

Fact: John Wall’s 360 layup is the single coolest thing that anyone has ever done ever.

Fact: Matt Barnes being so mystified by that 360 that he turns completely the wrong way is absolutely hilarious.

Fact: John Wall is better at basketball than any of us are at anything.

Fact: John Wall has given us all so much joy in our lives that we owe him large amounts of money and gifts.

It’s not just the fact that he’s incredibly good. He’s an awesome competitor. No one wants it more than John Wall.

Grade: A

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Bradley Beal: 16.0 PPG (45.7 FG%), 3.8 RPG, 5.0 APG

Bradley Beal has returned and has finally gotten his sea legs, so it’s back to our regularly scheduled programming: insanely frustrating inconsistency!

This week, we got two games of Good Beal (23 points on 4-4 from 3 against Portland, 18 points on 3-5 from 3 against the Clippers) and two games of Not-So-Good Beal (14 points on 4-13 shooting against Sacramento, 9 points with no threes against the Jazz.)

That’s an even 50%, but let’s all remind ourselves: playing like a star 50% of the time is pretty darn good for a 21-year-old in the NBA, and it all averages out to some dang solid numbers. It’s no coincidence that the Washington Wizards started winning again when the Panda came back.

Grade: B+

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Pierce: 14.3 PPG (46.3 FG%), 3.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 SPG

In DC’s recent hot streak, Paul Pierce has been firing threes with dashing abandon. With Beal still struggling to find consistency, and in lieu of any other 3-point threat emerging elsewhere on the roster, Pierce has stepped up in a huge way – he shot just under 48% from long range this week, and scored over 15 points in three of the Wizards’ four games.

The old man’s still got it. There are only a few weeks left in the regular season and I’m STILL not used to Paul Pierce being a Wizard.

Grade: B+

Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Nene: 11.3 PPG (41.2 FG%), 6.3 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 BPG

Nene has made his return to the court after siring two smaller Nenes, only fueling our big Brazilian’s limitless power. Nene returned with bad intentions in his heart, a raging bull with dancer’s feet. If you subscribe to the theory that Dad Strength exists, Nene’s strength has increased by +2 Nenes.

With one more Nene he’ll have enough experience points to level up and unlock the Fire Dreads trait, which casts five extra points of melee burning damage to enemies.

Grade: B

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Marcin Gortat: 12.0 PPG (68.8 FG%), 7.0 RPG, 1.3 APG

Here’s a Cool Stat: over the last month, Marcin Gortat is shooting 64% from the field. In that time, Gortat is averaging about 14 points and 10 rebounds a game.

Gortat’s even scoring on some of those turnaround jumpers and post moves that he never makes, so you KNOW he’s feeling it. Meanwhile, DeAndre Jordan is shooting 71% for the entire season, because I don’t even know anymore.

So did Randy Wittman play him in the fourth quarter against the Clippers hahaha of course he didn’t.

Grade: B