Which teams will round out Eastern Conference Playoffs picture?
Washington Wizards
Offensive Rating: No. 20 (101.1)
Defensive Rating: No. 19 (104.0)
The Washington Wizards are out of the playoff picture, but it seems foolish to expect things to stay that way. The Wizards completed their four-game sweep of the Magic on Saturday night, and the eye test reveals a team that can be far better than their record has shown thus far.
John Wall is still an elite point guard, even if the Wizards have yet to break through as a team. Bradley Beal is one of the hottest shooting guards in the game, and it is he who leads the team in scoring so far (at least when he is on the court healthy). And old Magic friend Marcin Gortat’s deft brilliance in the pick and roll helps Washington bring it all together.
When the Wizards are firing on all cylinders, they are a tough team, and also the same team that swept the Toronto Raptors last season in the playoffs. The Wizards even gave the 60-win Hawks a run for their money before bowing out in six games.
But that is really it: This is the same Wizards team that has been successful, and the season is still nearing its halfway point.
To see the Wizards go on a tear and move themselves into the postseason seems likely. Washington has manhandled Orlando, a team that sits several games ahead in the standings. The Wizards have a lot of things going for them the Magic do not, not the least of which is a closer and standout point guard in Wall.
Wall should be able to rally his talented cast to step it up in the second half of the season, and to see the Wizards miss out on the postseason would be more surprising than the inevitable surge this team is bound to make as the season winds down.