Washington has been struggling to gain lineup consistency this season, and injuries are a part of it. Dwight Howard missing a good portion of the season has left them without a true center. We have seen Markieff Morris, Jeff Green, and Thomas Bryant draw the starts here at times. With a front court that is up for grabs, the rotations will shift depending on who they face. If it is a smaller team, then Green and Morris get more run. Bryant is a guy who could see more minutes as the season gets deeper. Otherwise this is a Washington team that relies on names like Otto Porter, John Wall, and Bradley Beal. Wall and Beal start at the guard positions, while Porter can fluctuate between the three and the four. The addition of Trevor Ariza has moved Porter more to the four which takes away some minutes for the names above.
Preseason Analysis: Howard Looking to Lift Wizards Playoff Hopes
After a few seasons of being an up and coming team in the Eastern Conference, Washington took a step backwards last year. John Wall did miss most of the season, but overall his play did not look great even when healthy. This led to a big year from Bradley Beal who took over the backcourt usage with Wall off the court. This duo can easily flip the switch and takeover again in the East, but Wall’s general interest has been at question. Both offer up top five fantasy potential here, and this is where the Wizards devote their usage to. If for some reason Wall has further issues, Tomas Satoransky is going to be an easy plug and play for value.
He showed the ability to fill in at anytime, and this year does not have Tim Frazier cutting into that workload. Even though Washington landed Austin Rivers, there is no guarantee he will get the minutes with Doc Rivers not being the coach. Otto Porter took a step forward this past year, and took some usage with Wall being out. He is the third scorer on this team behind Beal and Wall, so that price will need to come down before the production adjusts. Kelly Oubre is going to get some competition for minutes with Jeff Green now in Washington. Both have potential to lead the bench unit, but usage is up in the air. They will play behind Markieff Morris, but that is not a guarantee to stay throughout the year. Morris is very inconsistent and often finds himself in the doghouse. After Dwight Howard reached a buyout with the Nets, he signed with Washington giving them an upgrade over Marcin Gortat. Howard has been quietly putting up strong numbers and should do well here in a new setting.
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