Reviewing the 2021-22 Washington Wizards
June 7th, 2022
By Alan Lu
The Wizards swung a big trade by dealing away Russell Westbrook to get a lot of solid role players from the Los Angeles Lakers in order to improve their depth. They were able to get out from Westbrook’s massive contract, and they started the season well. However, Bradley Beal went down to injury midway through the season, and the Wizards then struggled to win games, which more or less put them out of playoff contention.
On the other hand, they were able to swing a trade to get star center Kristaps Porzingis by dealing Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans to Dallas to get him. It will be interesting to see how well Beal and Porzingis play together, and while the Wizards didn’t have the season they expected this year, next season will definitely be exciting for their fans.
Key Players:
(Photo: Brandon Dill/Associated Press, via Bleacher Report)
Bradley Beal
2021-22 (WAS): 23.2 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.7 RPG, 45 FG%, 30 3PT%, 83 FT%, 54 TS%, 17.5 PER, 1.4 WS
He is a superstar guard that played for the Wizards this year. He excelled as a playmaker, but he didn’t shoot or defend well this season, and he only played 40 games before missing the rest of the season due to a wrist injury.
2022 Season Grade: D
Projected 2023 Rating: 3 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Starter on the Washington Wizards
(Photo: USA Today Sports Images, via Forty Eight Minutes)
Kristaps Porziņģis
2021-22 (DAL/WAS): 20.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.6 BPG, 46 FG%, 31 3PT%, 87 FT%, 58 TS%, 23.7 PER, 5.6 WS
Porziņģis is an athletic, skilled center that played for Dallas before being traded to the Washington Wizards. He struggled with his three-point shot in Dallas this year, but he still was scoring and defending, which made it all the more surprising when he was dealt midseason. He shot the ball better for the Wizards, and he gives them another star player that could help them make the playoff push next year.
2022 Season Grade: C+
Projected 2023 Rating: 3 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Starting center on the Washington Wizards
(Photo: NBC Washington via Kyle Kuzma and Toreno Winn’s Twitter, via BET)
Kyle Kuzma
2021-22 (WAS): 17.1 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 45 FG%, 34 3PT%, 71 FT%, 55 TS%, 15.2 PER, 2.0 WS
He is an athletic, skilled combo forward that had a fairly good season this year after being traded to the Wizards in the offseason. Kuzma excelled as a rebounder and playmaker, and he had some very good scoring skills. He struggled a bit with his outside shot, but he generally played well on offense.
2022 Season Grade: B-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2.5 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Washington Wizards
Daniel Gafford
2021-22 (WAS): 9.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 69 FG%, 0 3PT%, 70 FT%, 71 TS%, 21.8 PER, 6.0 WS
He is an athletic, energetic big man that thrived as an interior player for the Wizards this season.
2022 Season Grade: B+
Projected 2023 Rating: 2.5 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Washington Wizards
Other Notable Players:
He missed considerable time early on, but when he came back, Hachimura came back with a much-improved outside shot, as he really excelled as a floor spacer and scorer off the bench for the Wizards.
2022 Season Grade: B+
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (2.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Washington Wizards
He played fairly well during his rookie season with the Wizards this year. He had a slow start, but he consistently took good shots, and eventually his outside shot was able to fall, as he improved his ability to make jumpers as the season progressed.
2022 Season Grade: B-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (2.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Washington Wizards
He struggled to consistently shoot or score the basketball, but he is a solid team player that would move the basketball, and Avdija also thrived defensively, as he showed that he can guard some of the best players in the NBA.
2022 Season Grade: B-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (2.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Washington Wizards
He only played 27 games this year, and he didn’t score or rebound as much per game as he did in previous seasons. Bryant has played just 37 games in the past 2 seasons, and he’s been quite injury prone. He is an offensively skilled big man, but he will need to show that he can stay healthy on a consistent basis.
2022 Season Grade: C-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (2.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on an NBA team
2022 Season Grade: C
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the Washington Wizards
He is a journeyman guard that played for three different teams this year. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but he played his best basketball for the Wizards this season after really struggling for the Pelicans, and having played just one game on the Spurs. He is a tall, athletic facilitator, but he will need to shoot the ball much better in games.
2022 Season Grade: D-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on an NBA team
Other Players on the Roster:
Carey is a strong, mobile center that played for the Hornets before being traded midseason to the Wizards. He didn’t play much in the NBA this year, and he hasn’t shown the outside shot that he seemed to showcase when he was at Duke in college.
2022 Season Grade: D+
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 star (2 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on the Washington Wizards
Cassius Winston (Two-Way Player)
He hasn’t played much for the Wizards in his two seasons in the NBA, and it’s beginning to look doubtful if he’ll ever carve out a consistent role on this team. He didn’t shoot the ball very well, and while he played well in the G-League, he’ll need to play better in the NBA to be able to lock down a roster spot and earn more minutes next year.
2022 Season Grade: D-
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars (2 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on the Washington Wizards
He is a veteran backup point guard that played for the Hornets before being traded to the Wizards midseason. He thrived as a playmaker for the Wizards, but he was inconsistent as a scorer this year.
2022 Season Grade: C
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on an NBA team
He didn’t shoot the ball or defend nearly as well as he did last year, but he did get ample playing time as a backup point guard, and he did a fairly good job of passing the basketball to get assists.
2022 Season Grade: D
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on an NBA team
He didn’t play much, but Gill thrived as a shooter and scorer in very limited minutes off the bench.
2022 Season Grade: B
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe roster player on an NBA team
After having played fairly well in the G-League last year and tantalized with his size, athleticism, and skills, Todd was selected by the Wizards in the 2021 draft. Todd then turned in a very disappointing season however, as he really struggled in limited minutes in the NBA, and he didn’t play nearly as well in the G-League last year. He took several steps back in his development, and he even was suspended for a game. It looks as though as if the Wizards may have prematurely have given him a fully guaranteed, multi-year deal, and Todd doesn’t seem to be as polished nor have as much potential as previously thought.
2022 Season Grade: D-
Projected 2023 Rating: 1 star (2 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on the Washington Wizards
Jordan Schakel (Two-Way Player)
He was able to get a call-up to the NBA after having played fairly well in the G-League, but Schakel didn’t shoot nor play well in very limited minutes in the NBA with the Wizards, and he hasn’t been the lights out shooter that he was for San Diego State in college.
2022 Season Grade: D-
Projected 2023 Rating: 1 star (2 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe roster player on the Washington Wizards
Head Coach:
(Photo: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
Wes Unseld Jr.
2021-22 (WAS): 35-47, 12th in the Eastern Conference
He had an up and down season in his rookie year as the head coach for the Washington Wizards. He started off very well, but things snowballed after starting off very well in the first month. His team went on a losing streak, and his team ended up losing Beal for the rest of the season midway through. The Wizards ended up missing the playoffs, but they did a fairly good job of developing their young players, and acquiring Porzingis in a midseason trade could help them for next season.
2022 Season Grade: C
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars (2.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Head Coach of the Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards’ Projected 2022-23 Rotation:
C Kristaps Porzingis
F Kyle Kuzma
F Deni Avdija
G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
G Bradley Beal
____________
F Rui Hachimura
G Corey Kispert
10th Overall Pick
C Daniel Gafford
G Ish Smith
The Washington Wizards’ Picks in the 2022 NBA Draft:
#10, #54
The Washington Wizards’ Projected 2023 Win-Loss Record:
31-51, 13th in the Eastern Conference
Their Projected Offseason Plan:
The Wizards are projected to be capped out, so they will have to decide if they want to bring their impending free agents back, and they will have to make moves via the draft and trades. They did a good job of passing the basketball to get assists this season, but struggled in most of the other categories. The Wizards do have the tenth overall pick, and they will need to select a player that can shoot, score, defend, and play alongside Beal and Porzingis in games.
Next year, it will be interesting to see how well the Wizards will mesh now that Beal and Porzingis will likely be healthy enough to play a full season together next year. They will need to shoot and defend better, but if they can add another talented, promising rookie to their team, that could help them make a stronger playoff push next year.
The team analysis of the Washington Wizards was done before the 2022 NBA Draft and the start of free agency. I went to No Trade Clause and Basketball-Reference for research purposes. Thanks for reading.
