The Washington Wizards saw their postseason run end on Monday night in a disappointing 115-105 Game 7 loss against the Boston Celtics, which marked their third defeat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the last four years.
This has subsequently prompted questions about what the Wizards need to add during the offseason in order to get over the second round hump in the playoffs. According to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post, All-Star guard John Wall stated that he doesn't believe he needs to help recruit free agents to the Wizards.
Asked if he will help attract FAs, Wall: "I don’t think I have to do that. I think they understand and see what we do as a team over here."
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) May 16, 2017
Although Washington possesses one of the league's most dynamic backcourts, it's evident that the organization needs more offensive firepower to be considered a true championship contender. Wall is coming off his best individual season, posting a double-double with career highs of 23.1 points and 10.7 assists per game. Meanwhile, Bradley Beal posted career-best numbers with 23.1 points on 48.4 percent shooting from the field.
These strong campaigns by the Wizards' duo were not enough to lift them past the Celtics. While Beal did show up in Game 7 dropping a game-high 38 points, it was the lackluster performance from Wall, who missed his last 11 shots, that hurt them the most in contributing to their departure from the playoffs.
This alone makes the addition of another high-impact player a must for the Wizards to finally get over the postseason hurdle and contend for an NBA title. Wall may not think his voice is needed in the pitch room to free agents, but he might have to soon think twice about that if Washington strikes out like they did last year with Kevin Durant.
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