Paul Brandley

Paul Brandley - Baltimore Sports Writer Covering the Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards

Paul Brandley: Wizards Win Three Straight, Now 7-2

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For a team that has been questioned as to whether they have put enough quality pieces around all-star John Wall, the Washington Wizards played a full team game on Saturday. With the 98-93 win against the Orlando Magic in Washington, the Wizards have a firm hold on first place in the Southeast division and currently occupy the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings.

Let’s break down what gave the Wizards the win this week:

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Victor Oladipo shot 7-18 in his return from injury – Paul Brandley

This was a great night for offense from both teams. For Orlando, starters Channing Frye, Tobias Harris, and Nikola Vucevic combined for 47 points on 63% shooting (19-30 overall, 5-8 from 3-point range), and 26 rebounds. Their starters were on point, too, with all five scoring in double digits, including Victor Oladipo, who returned from a facial injury. However, the Wizards were right there with them and were rewarded for a complete team effort. John Wall contributed 10 assists to the teams impressive total of 31 assists, giving him his sixth double-double of the season with 15 points. As a team, the Wizards shot 50% and had six players score in double digits.

As good as the starters were, the bench is what tipped the scales for the Wizards. A second line of Kris Humphries, Otto Porter, Jr., Rasual Butler, Kevin Seraphin and Andre Miller combined for 48 points on 65% (22-34) shooting, almost half of the team’s 40 rebounds and 12 assists.

The Wizards also unexpectedly impressed with their inside defense. Not really known for having premier rim defenders, the Wizards blocked a whopping eight shots from the Magic. The Wizards were also very responsible with the ball, limiting their sometimes frequent turnovers to just eleven during this game.

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Paul Pierce likes the Wizards’ feistiness on defense – Paul Brandley

The win gives the Washington Wizards a 4-0 record at home, clearly indicating the level of comfort and support they feel when playing for their home crowd. They’ll be off until Wednesday, when they host Dirk Nowitzki and the reinvigorated Dallas Mavericks.

Injury Notes:

The Orlando Magic have sustained a potentially devastating blow to their rebuilding plans, losing rookie forward Aaron Gordon indefinitely to a fracture in his foot. The Magic are sure to be very cautious, given Gordon’s perceived upside and the fact that these foot injuries have been known to linger and hamper big men’s careers (see Yao Ming).

On the bright side, Coach Wittman has let us know that sharpshooter Bradley Beal will return from injury to begin practicing with the team this week. We are not sure when he will return to play, but with the Wizards playing so well without him, I’m excited to see him bring their game to the next level.

– Paul Brandley

Paul Brandley – Washington Wi…

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Wizards Move to 5-2 with Win over Pacers

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For the second time in four days, the Washington Wizards have downed the Indiana Pacers. By a score of 97-90, the Wizards edged the Pacers to pickup the back end of a back-to-back, after they lost for the first time in 5 games to the Toronto Raptors, 103-84.

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Paul Pierce has not been afraid to shoot this season.

The Wizards survived a dismal offensive night from veteran Paul Pierce, who shot 2-13, including 0-5 from behind the three point line. Luckily, seven of the Wizards’ other nine players who played last night made up for his struggles by shooting 50% or higher. Notably, John Wall had eighteen points and four assists, Kevin Seraphim had thirteen points off a 6-8 shooting night, and Nene had a seventeen point, five assist night.

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Kevin Seraphin has provided a much needed physical presence on the wing.

On defense, the Wizards showcased how their youth and athleticism allows them to outplay other teams’ more traditional offenses. The Wizards combined for four blocked shots and eight steals. Four of those steals came from speedy John Wall.

It seems that the Pacers are still struggling to find their way after a disappointing end to their season and a number of cornerstone players from last year’s not being in their current lineup. During the offseason, the Pacers lost breakout shooting guard Lance Stephenson to free agency (signed with the Charlotte Hornets), Paul George to injury (broken leg), George Hill (knee contusion), and David West (sprained ankle). That’s four of five players from a starting lineup that was supposed to be the East’s answer to Lebron’s Miami Heat.

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None of these players were anywhere to be found during the second half of Saturday’s showdown

To add insult to injury (pun fully intended), after just eleven minutes into Saturday’s game, center Roy Hibbert knocked knees with teammate Solomon Hill and did not return to the game. Luckily for the Pacers, Hibbert’s status for Monday’s game has since been upgraded to ‘probable’, so it looks like he’s avoided a long-term injury. Solomon Hill did his best to make up for taking Hibbert out of the game, racking up twenty-eight points, six rebounds and three steals in 43 minutes of work while shooting over 50% from the field.

The Wizards exploded out of the gates, going into the second half with a 54-35 advantage, but went cold and let the Pacers back into the game late. I had mentioned turnovers as being a major concern for this young team and tonight showed us why, with John Wall and Nene combining for nine. If they can keep their turnovers down and keep winning the rebound battle (they beat the Pacers 49-38), this will be a very dangerous team come playoff time.

 

Paul Brandley: Washington Wizards 2014-15 Season Preview (updated)

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With the preseason set to begin on October 6th, there’s lots to be excited about in the Washington Wizards world. After an impressive 2013-2014 campaign that saw five players average double figures in scoring, John Wall average nearly nine assists and two steals per game, and a first round playoff victory against the Chicago Bulls, the Washington Wizards are again set to make a run into the playoffs. Here’s how:

 

Defense
Paul Brandley Washington Wizards Center Marcin Gortat
Marcin Gortat – Washington Wizards Center
Last year, the Wizards ranked ninth in points allowed, a nod to their defensive ability at each position. Down low, Marcin Gortat averaged a respectable 1.49 blocks per game (9th among pure centers) while Nêne averaged 1.2 steals per game. On the perimeter, the Wizards are stacked with young talent starting to play like NBA stars. In addition to the aforementioned two steals per game from John Wall, Bradley Beal has held down the shooting guard position (both averaged 1.5 steals in the postseason). The athleticism of this bunch, especially John Wall, makes it extremely difficult to play a two way game against them—opposing players, after chasing and containing the Wizards on defense, are simply too tired to bring it to the Wizards’ defense.

 

Offense

Offense has always come naturally for the Wizards. John Wall has the speed to create a shot every time down the floor and Bradley Beal eats corner threes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But what makes this group special is that they haven’t even reached their potential.

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John Wall – Washington Wizards Point Guard

Sure, it’s easy to say that John Wall averages 19.9 points and 8.8 steals per game and that should be good enough for him–not so. What about those 3.6 turnovers per game? This was a slight uptick from the 3.2 turnovers per game that he averaged last year, so I think he can not only get back to 3.2, but drop below 3 TOPG per game for the first time in his career. That would be a huge boon to the Wizards, who are secretly one of the better passing teams in the league (Gortat and Nene are underrated in this regard).

 

Wild Cards

While Otto Porter and Glen Rice, Jr. didn’t show us much last year–Glen Rice, Jr. played in only eleven games–they looked great in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League. If Otto Porter can adapt his game to play as a second- third- or even fourth-option on offense, he can be one of the most versatile players in the league.

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Glen Rice – Washington Wizards Wildcard Shooting Guard

 

Wizards Expectations for 2014-2015 Season

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The Washington Wizards finished with 44 wins last year – their highest total in nearly 10 years. Due to high draft picks for the last four seasons, Washington has put together a young core that has lots of potential. Guys such as John Wall have turned out to be All-Star caliber players that are not only very skilled but also entertaining to watch.

Washington has also brought in some great veterans such as Marcin Gortat and Nene. Now, the Wizards bring in the most seasoned veteran of them all – Paul Pierce. While Pierce is certainly over the hump, he has lots of playoff experience (and an NBA Championship ring) which will prove to be invaluable as the season goes along.

While things are looking up for the Wizards, I want to make sure that I provide you with realistic expectations for next season. Here’s a breakdown of the Washington Wizards.

John Wall is entering his fifth season in the league and is emerging as a superstar. Wall was selected for the USA Team tryouts, getting cut in the last round of players. Wall was electric last year by averaging nearly 20 points and nine assists while also recording 1.8 steals per game. His improvements on offense also opened the floor for Bradley Beal due to penetrate-and-kick scenarios.

Beal, who is entering his third season, had a breakout year during his sophomore campaign. Averaging 17 points a game while also shooting over 40% from three means that Beal and Wall are one of the best guard combos in the league. And Beal continued to perform in the playoffs – showing that he has matured into a clutch player while still very young. This kid’s confidence is through the roof.

Down low, Washington has two bruisers in Gortat and Nene. Gortat is an old-school center, living in the lane, while Nene has some of the quickest feet for a guy his size.

The addition of Paul Pierce will provide veteran leadership to a team that has shown immaturity in the past.
The addition of Paul Pierce will provide veteran leadership to a team that has shown immaturity in the past.

The Wizards have brought in Dajuan Blair and Kris Humphries to prove the Wizards with some depth in the frontcourt. Both players should be able to contribute about 15 minutes a game. Add in Paul Pierce and you have a very respectable team that could make a playoff run.

One major problem, however, is having Randy Wittman running the show. Wittman has been criticized for his in-game adjustments as well as the way he runs his offense. One stat that many point to: the Wizards lost 12 games last year in which they had a double-digit lead. That’s not good – and a lot of the blame can be placed on Wittman’s shoulders.

Also, Wittman has forced some of the ballhandling duties onto Beal instead of letting Wall initiate the offensive sets. This has proved to be ineffective due to Beal’s value as a shooter.

The other issue with the Wizards is injuries. Paul Pierce is breaking down – he needs a rest every three or four games. And Nene is notorious for getting injured, missing 20+ games in each of his last three seasons.

Regardless, the Wizards have put together a very nice team – one that should finish anywhere from third to fifth in the conference. Who knows what the playoffs will hold?