The Washington Wizards' busy offseason has made new head coach Wes Unseld Jr.'s rotation 12 men deep. Whether that yields positive results in the 2021-22 NBA season comes down to how well Spencer Dinwiddie and Bradley Beal jell in the team's starting backcourt.
Dinwiddie is the most pivotal pickup for the Wizards this offseason, as he and Beal are tasked with leading the team's offense. Superficially speaking, these two should play together, but there's a legitimate question mark attached to each player.
Dinwiddie is a year removed from a superb season with the Brooklyn Nets where he was the team's primary point guard, averaging 20.6 points and 6.8 assists per game. In that season and the one prior, he showcased an ability to be a go-to scorer who scores in isolation, gets to the rim and can create his own shot.
Dinwiddie assumed such a role on a team that was quickly bounced out of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons with moderate at best expectations. Now he joins a team where he's the clear-cut number-two scorer and playing alongside a bonafide star scorer in Beal.
As for Beal, he has started next to a couple premier point guards in recent memory. Both marriages resulted in murky or abrupt divorces. John Wall has been by Beal's side for the bulk of his career, but the star-studded backcourt developed a habit of coming up short in the playoffs.
Last offseason the Wizards sent Wall and a future first-rounder to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook, who is now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite their strong second-half playoff push, the Wizards should've been a contender in the Eastern Conference last season based on their one-two punch of Beal and Westbrook alone.
Unseld needs his backcourt to feed off itself. Dinwiddie and Beal are each bouncy scorers who have a knack for getting inside and are each accustomed to playing off the ball. It's the same concept with Beal playing next to a point guard who has the ball in his hands.
Dinwiddie is a bit different from the Wizards' previous floor generals, though. Wall was a traditional point guard who facilitated and took what the defense gave him. Westbrook was an aggressor off the dribble. Dinwiddie is a decisive scorer who can move the ball.
Beal is the driving force of this offense. Dinwiddie is the number two scorer but also has to play well enough to the point where teams have to gameplan for him nearly, if not as much as Beal. Such a threat materializing comes from Dinwiddie being able to score on his own and Beal finding success holding the ball a bit less than years past.
From both a production and impact point of view, Dinwiddie and Beal can be an elite backcourt. If they become such a threat, the rest can fall into place for the Wizards.
The quartet of players the Wizards ended up corralling for Westbrook should be rotation players, if not starters from the jump. Kyle Kuzma can be a steady scorer. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a respectable two-way player. Montrezl Harrell is an exuberant inside finisher. Aaron Holiday is a young scorer with upside. Rookie Corey Kispert is a highly efficient shooter.
As for what remains in the building, Rui Hachimura is a steady scorer. Davis Bertans can flat-out shoot. Daniel Gafford is a smooth inside player who hits the boards. A healthy Thomas Bryant can be an inside force. Deni Avdija was a top-10 pick a year ago given his speed and ability to score off the dribble.
The Wizards are a roster of stars, veterans looking to prove themselves and a bevy of raw scorers. There needs to be steady fixtures for this team to lean on. Why? There are plenty of teams in the NBA that're either rebuilding or stuck in mediocrity that can score at will but fail to make tangible progress from a win-loss standpoint. This is what the Wizards can be without an identity.
Generally speaking, this is an offensive-minded team that lacks defensively. Their offseason additions somewhat help them in that regard, but it's difficult to envision them turning the tide, if you will.
Last season the Wizards were third in the NBA in points per game (116.6), whereas they were 30th in opponent points per game (118.5). They're advanced offensively. Going all in on having an overwhelming offense is their best chance for success. Frankly, it's what their roster is best suited for.
Yes, it feels like a yearly tradition for there to be optimism about the Eastern Conference. With that said, the conference looks to be 10-plus deep from a competitive standpoint.
The defending-champion Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers are embedded contenders. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks have emerged while the Miami Heat acquired Kyle Lowry and the New York Knicks filled voids this offseason. By the way, the Chicago Bulls added DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball.
Teams like the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are formulating roadmaps to being respectable forces once again. The Charlotte Hornets have a compelling core and roster that could make a jump.
The Washington Wizards can be one of two things next season: a deep, multifaceted team or a team of raw talent without the wins to show for it.
Scenario one taking place comes from Dinwiddie and Beal clicking, taking attention off others and getting players the ball in their hotspots. The second scenario takes place from the pair of guards trying to be the same player. They make or break the Wizards' aspirations of being a player in the East.
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