Washington Wizards: Trading John Wall Does Not Fix Their Problems
Washington Wizards: Some have suggested that the Wizards should trade John Wall, but that won’t fix the problems they’re dealing with.
The captain, if given the chance, should not go down with the sinking ship. At 4-9, the Washington Wizards are at the bottom of the sea and don’t see a clear path back up.
Unforeseen circumstances, like the Wizards losing Markieff Morris to an injury against the Miami Heat, causing their defense to fall apart late in the contest, have set the Wizards back.
Other factors, such as the team’s lack of depth, has hurt their defense, making Scott Brooks‘ job as the head coach that much more difficult.
Saturday night’s loss against Miami was an exhibition, with both teams just shooting at will. The only difference – one team remembered to play defense.
Somewhere, former Wizards’ coach Randy Wittman looked at the screen and said, “I told you they were soft.”
The team hasn’t had very many bright spots this season, but Otto Porter has been one of them. Averaging 15 points and 8 rebounds per game, Porter is setting himself up for a huge payday in the summer.
Bradley Beal, after a rough start to the season, is finally starting to break through. He scored 34 points against the Heat and followed that up with a career-high 42 against the Phoenix Suns.
Marcin Gortat has been consistently productive, just as he’s been since he arrived to the nation’s capital in 2013.
Despite the core of players putting together a solid string of individual performances, the team is still at the bottom of the conference and continue to struggle at home.
At the end of the day, the rest of the league flat out does not fear the Wizards. The Verizon Center has become a safe haven for opposing teams that need a win. Right now, losing to the Washington Wizards is an embarrassment.
So, how does trading John Wall – as some have suggested – fix the problem? It doesn’t.
Paul Pierce predicted this in 2015 during his time on the team:
‘I talk to them a lot about mental preparation and consistency. I keep telling Wall and Beal, “You’ve got to make up your mind. Do you want to be good, or do you want to be great? Because if you want to be great, you gotta do it every single night, not just when you feel like it.” Both of those guys have the potential to be great. I love them. But sometimes I’m not sure they realize what it takes asked Wall and Beal if they want to great or just good, because to be great you can’t do it when you feel like it. You have to be great every single night.’
The Wizards are what they are because the core group hasn’t consistently played up to their potential. Basic fundamentals, like making key free throws and rotating out to shooters on time, have been difficult for the team.
Instead of parting ways and finding a new home, Wall needs to regain leadership of the team. The answers are right there. The Wizards’ problems are fixable.
As the leader, it’s on Wall to rally his team and get them to play up to their capabilities.
We’re only 13 games into the season. Now is not the time to panic. Instead, it’s time to show the rest of the league – and themselves – what they’re made of.
The frustration is understandable, but the Washington Wizards don’t have much, if anything, to gain from trading their franchise player.
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