We will have to wait a few more months to know whether Washington will have succeeded or not in its offseason. In the meantime, after recording Russell Westbrook’s desire to leave the capital to join the Lakers, the Wizards front office was satisfied with the way he had handled the rest of the events, through the voice of his GM, Tommy Sheppard.
“We were clear, as we progressed in the offseason, that we were going to be aggressive, doing movements that would improve our defense, our shooting and our athletic dimension”, did he declare. “Starting with the signing of coach Wes Unseld Jr., then going through the Draft and finally acquiring these five players through trades, we are confident that we have made significant progress in these areas. “
A more balanced group
In addition to having recovered Corey Kispert and Isaiah Todd (15th and 31st pick of the last Draft), the Wizards have indeed received reinforcements from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell in the exchange with the Lakers, and also two rookies in the rear posts, Aaron Holiday and Spencer Dinwiddie.
What to consider next season with at least as much enthusiasm as at the dawn of the 2020/2021 financial year, the franchise of the capital seeming more balanced than in the past.
“Each player we have acquired meets a need, in addition to bringing experience, toughness and a winning attitude that make them the ideal fit around Bradley. (Beal) and the rest of our workforce ”, Sheppard added. “Spencer Dinwiddie’s athleticism, which allows him to score and create for others, and Aaron’s tough style off the bench make a complementary pair of leaders. Kyle and KCP are established “3 – & – D” with significant experience gained from the 2020 title, while Montrezl’s energy and effort epitomizes the way we want to play every night. “
A measured and considered bet to replace Russell Westbrook
Perhaps the biggest questioning is Spencer Dinwiddie, with the point guard / fullback having surgery to repair a partial anterior cruciate ligament tear in the knee in December 2020.
Although the latter has not played in an official game since, the Wizards probably felt that they would not have a better option on the market to replace Russell Westbrook. Hoping that the bet is successful and that the former Nets player will not be bothered by injuries.
Tommy Sheppard also wanted to salute Russell Westbrook, great architect of the crazy rise of the Wizards in the second part of last season.
“Russell was an amazing leader for us and seeing him make history when he was with the Wizards was a privilege for me, our players and our fans, that none of us will ever forget,” continued the GM of Washington, referring to the record for the 2017 MVP, author of the most career triple-doubles in NBA history (184). “The impact he has had on our franchise and our players in one season is remarkable and we wish him the best as he continues his Hall of Famer career. “
| Tirs | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Fte | Pts |
| Bradley Beal | 60 | 35.8 | 48.5 | 34.9 | 88.9 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 31.3 |
| Russell Westbrook | 65 | 36.4 | 43.9 | 31.5 | 65.6 | 1.7 | 9.9 | 11.5 | 11.7 | 4.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 22.2 |
| Thomas bryant | 10 | 27.1 | 64.8 | 42.9 | 66.7 | 1.8 | 4.3 | 6.1 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 14.3 |
| Rui Hachimura | 57 | 31.5 | 47.8 | 32.8 | 77.0 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 13.8 |
| Davis Bertans | 57 | 25.7 | 40.4 | 39.5 | 87.0 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 11.5 |
| Daniel Gafford | 23 | 17.8 | 68.1 | 0.0 | 67.2 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 5.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 10.1 |
| Robin Lopez | 71 | 19.1 | 63.3 | 27.8 | 72.3 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 9.0 |
| Raulzinho Neto | 64 | 21.9 | 46.8 | 39.0 | 88.2 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 8.7 |
| Alex Len | 57 | 15.8 | 61.9 | 26.3 | 63.6 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 7.1 |
| Moe Wagner | 25 | 15.0 | 50.8 | 31.0 | 78.8 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 7.1 |
| Ish Smith | 44 | 21.0 | 43.4 | 36.7 | 57.6 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 6.7 |
| Deni Avdija | 54 | 23.3 | 41.7 | 31.5 | 64.4 | 0.4 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 6.3 |
| Garrison Mathews | 64 | 16.2 | 40.9 | 38.4 | 88.4 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 5.5 |
| Chandler Hutchison | 18 | 15.7 | 40.0 | 36.8 | 82.6 | 0.3 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 5.2 |
| Jerome Robinson | 17 | 17.9 | 29.5 | 26.2 | 80.0 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 4.9 |
| Troy Brown, Jr. | 21 | 13.7 | 37.1 | 30.4 | 66.7 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 4.3 |
| Anthony Gill | 26 | 8.4 | 50.0 | 29.2 | 81.2 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 3.1 |
| Jordan Bell | 5 | 13.4 | 35.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.8 |
| Isaac bonga | 40 | 10.8 | 37.0 | 27.7 | 62.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| Cassius Winston | 22 | 4.5 | 42.4 | 47.1 | 83.3 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.9 |
| Anzejs Pasecniks | 1 | 6.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
