Washington Wizards Have Another Disastrous Week

The Washington Wizards are going down the drain, after one of the most disastrous weeks of basketball in recent memory – and it’s a tailspin that could eventually claim head coach Randy Wittman.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s just focus on the awful basketball we’ve seen.

The Wizards stooped to new lows in their four losses – whether it was scoring six points in an entire fourth quarter, or losing on a buzzer beater at home, or getting absolutely obliterated by the Celtics, or letting CJ Miles drop 30 points.

This team looks, at various times, either totally incompetent or terminally unmotivated. They may be both, and in an Eastern Conference that won’t allow them to waltz in the playoffs uncontested anymore, it may be a death sentence for the 2015-16 Washington Wizards.

Wow, that got kinda morbid. Let’s grade.

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

John Wall: 15.0 PPG (33.3 FG%), 4.0 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.3 SPG

For five years, John Wall never stopped running. It was actually kind of a problem – he played so fast, that he never really knew exactly when the game demanded that he should slow down. But this year, when was the last time you saw John Wall run full-speed anywhere?

Most of the Washington Wizards problems were actually rather predictable – a roster ill-suited to the type of ball they wanted to play, a lack of lineup flexibility, having to rely on Kris Humphries shooting threes – but who could have predicted that John Wall would be the Wizards’ greatest issue?

Wall is playing with no fire, no energy, no effort, no heart. He’s taking ridiculous, careless shots, turning the ball over at every turn. John Wall’s game has always been predicated on speed, and when he’s not running, everything goes up in smoke.

Opponents know what’s coming – they know when he’s going to fling a pass into the corner or attack the rim in transition, but when he’s running full-speed they can’t react fast enough. When he’s jogging down the court, it’s a different story.

Make no mistake, this is the worst John Wall has ever played in the NBA. Even when he was a rookie, when his jumper was even more unreliable than it is now, when he had no handle on the flow of the game, at least the man kept running. At least he played like he cared.

His team is counting on him. He is failing the Washington Wizards.

Grade: F

Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Bradley Beal: 18.3 PPG (44.3 FG%), 4.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.5 SPG

This week saw Bradley Beal return to his full capabilities on the court, as the Big Panda played at least 33 minutes in all four games, and although we had a couple brief injury scares, he looks to be good to go.

Beal was off the mark from three in his first three games back from injury, but he really picked things up against Toronto with three of the most effective quarters of basketball he’s played in his NBA career.

Heading into the fourth quarter Saturday night, Beal had 20 points on just seven shots, with five rebounds and five assists. Efficient, deadly. The problem? He finished with 20 points, and attempted just two field goals in the fourth quarter. That won’t do.

The Wizards are looking more and more like they’re going to need Beal to be the man to step up in the fourth quarter – they sure as hell can’t trust John Wall right now. Beal needs to be the leader now. He’s 22. Can he do it?

Grade: B

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Otto Porter: 7.3 PPG (28.1 FG%), 3.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.3 SPG

I may be the most unabashed Otto Porter fan on the Washington Wizards blog-o-net, and so it really pains me to say this – the Wizards have themselves a real Otto Porter problem.

The lanky Hoya gives the Wizards plenty on the court when he’s got it all going, but by and large, Porter’s best value has been, surprisingly, as a complementary offensive option.

From games 3-10 of the NBA season, Otto averaged almost 16 points a game, shooting well over 50% from the field.

Otto has a sweet jumper and we knew that already, but the consistent production was what was surprising, considering his past struggles to really assert himself on the NBA court.

Well, all things must pass, and Porter’s offensive production went into the tank this week.

That’s crappy, but it shouldn’t be such a huge problem.

The Wizards have Wall, Beal and Marcin Gortat, and other scoring weapons around the rotation – they shouldn’t need to rely on Otto Porter to give them offense. But when Porter hasn’t been scoring, he hasn’t been giving them what they need.

Partially for lack of better options, and partially because of the promise he showed in locking down DeMar DeRozan in last year’s playoffs, the Wizards are counting on Porter to be the man to harass the other team’s best players. He’ll be the man on Paul George, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, etc.

So far, they’ve cut through Otto Porter like a hot knife through butter. Opponents are shooting a total of 8.5% higher than their season averages against Porter – 14.7% higher from 3-point range, and 11.4% higher inside 15 feet.

Is it fair to expect Porter to be a top-tier defensive stopper, already ready to do battle against the NBA’s best? Probably not, but it’s the burden the Wizards have put on Otto Porter, and he hasn’t been able to live up to the challenge.

Grade: D

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Jared Dudley: 9.5 PPG (44.0 FG%), 3.5 RPG, 1.5 APG

Finally in the starting lineup, where we all figured he’d eventually be, Jared Dudley has settled into the role of Washington’s quiet game-changer, and he’s made the team better simply by being on the court.

One can easily see the difference in the on-court product between when the Washington Wizards are using an actual, legitimate stretch 4 like Dudley, or a pretender like Kris Humphries.

Dudley is a much more consistent shooter and floor-spacer – he’s shooting 45.5% from 3-point range this year – and his plus-minuses, even when the Wizards lose, are generally positive. He won’t give up that starting role easily.

Grade: B+

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Marcin Gortat: 11.8 PPG (47.5 FG%), 10.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG

With the Wizards unraveling both inside and out, one must first look to Marcin Gortat, one of the team’s most seasoned veterans and most outspoken personalities. Gortat is quick to tell you if something’s wrong, and the man is not happy.

And why should he be? His team is playing like crap, their relationship with Randy Wittman is potentially on the rocks, and Gortat has been quite inconsistent this season. He’s generally put together solid box score stats, but he’s failed to have a breakout game – meanwhile, his plus-minus has been in the red eight times this season, and his lack of physicality been exploited on defense.

But the biggest problem is that Marcin Gortat is a player who is completely dependent on John Wall to get him touches, and as Wall continues to flag, Gortat threatens to become less and less productive. He turned in two double-doubles this week, but also had two of his worst games of the year, including an effort against Boston that was absolutely wretched all-around.

If there’s anyone with the skill and the will to break out of this funk, it’s Gortat, but he won’t be able to do it alone.

Grade: C