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The Washington Wizards are 5-1. They just toppled the Boston Celtics in a double overtime thriller, 115-112, and are off to their best start since the 2014-15 season. With the win, Washington is tied with the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
If we're being honest, nobody saw Washington being this good, especially with the team trading Russell Westbrook this past summer. With Westbrook's departure, many expected Bradley Beal to follow suit. But alas, the Wizards star maintained his commitment and is so far reaping the benefits of his loyalty to the franchise that drafted him.
The Wizards will likely come back to earth at some point as some of the stronger teams in the East catch up. Nonetheless, these early season returns are definitely encouraging for this Wizards team that has largely struggled with slow starts over the last three years. With that said, here are three early season overreactions for Washington's impressive 5-1 start to the 2021-22 season.
3 overreactions to Wizards' 5-1 start
1. Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie are the best backcourt in the East
Without Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, are Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie the best backcourt in the Eastern Conference? Bulls fans might have something to say about that with their dynamic backcourt of Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball leading Chicago to a flying start. Still, Beal and Dinwiddie have just as strong a case as the Bulls duo does with the way their partnership has started in D.C.
Beal had his best game of the season after dropping 36 points in that double OT win over Boston. Though he shot just 12-of-32 from the field, the three-time All-Star made timely buckets for the Wizards in the fourth quarter and overtime sessions. Dinwidddie also didn't have a good shooting night, going just 6-of-18 from the floor. But like his backcourt partner, Dinwiddie also drained a clutch bucket in the second overtime period that gave the Wizards a more comfortable 3-point cushion, which proved to be enough to win them the game.
So far, Dinwiddie has proven to be a better match for Beal than Russell Westbrook. The 6-foot-5 combo guard's ability to break the paint and draw defenders in the paint allows Beal to operate as an off-ball scoring threat, a role he thrived with alongside John Wall. Dinwiddie's ability to make plays definitely eases the offensive load off of Beal, which should tranlate to more efficient scoring nights for the 28-year old.
Their dynamic together has been fun to watch so far and their chemistry alongside each other should only get better. And when both are at their best, they definitely could be the best backcourt in the East.
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2. Montrezl Harrell is an All-Star
Against the Celtics, Montrezl Harrell drew his second start this season and turned in a 20-point, 14-rebound double-double before fouling out in 35 minutes. This performance followed up 25-point, 13-rebound performance in a win over last season's Eastern Conference finalist, the Atlanta Hawks.
Harrell's revenge year appears to be in full swing. In fact, he is surely playing like an All-Star through the early goings of the season. The 27-year old seems motivated to shut his naysayers up after a down year with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. Through six games this season, Harrell is averaging 19.3 points and 10.2 rebounds while shooting 61.4 percent from the field.
The undersized big man is putting up the kind of production he had during his 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year campaign. More importantly, his energy and tenacity have been instrumental in Washington's success early on this season. If the 7-year veteran is able to play like this on a nightly basis and the Wizards are able to sustain their winning ways, it would not be shocking if Trez earns an All-Star nod in February.
3. The Wizards look like a lock for the playoffs
Obviously, we're just basing this off the first week or so of the new season, but Washington is looking like a lock for the postseason. That means they are finishing with at least a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference and will not need to go through the play-in tournament, like they did last year, to book a ticket to the postseason.
This is definitely within reach for the Wizards. They have arguably a top 10 to 15 player in Bradley Beal leading the way. As detailed earlier, Dinwiddie gives them one of the most formidable backcourts in the conference. Montrezl Harrell seems extra inspired and is playing with that familiar fire and energy he had with the Clippers. They have great depth up and down their roster.
The Wizards didn't get much love during the preseason. A lot of people didn't think they'd be good enough in the East and this very well could be the fire driving this early season success. From the looks of it, this team is already a tight-knit group. As their chemistry builds along, the Wizards will definitely make a ton of noise throughout the 2021-22 season.
