2021-22 Washington Wizards Preview

Ah yes, the Washington Wizards, my hometown team. Not by choice mind you, I get my melancholy injected right into my veins by rooting for other, more storied heart-breakers such as the Clippers or Rockets depending on the year, decade, entire existence. However, as this is the franchise that is closest to me in proximity, there’s hopefully something that can be gleaned. And since it’s getting closer and closer to Halloween, we should just go ahead and call this preview The Gleaning. Scary, right? You ain’t never seen me glean, son.

2021-2022 Washington Wizards Depth Chart

The new additions are quite the roster shift nonetheless and while I might not think the dynamic has changed, on the micro-level and through a fantasy lens, there is something intriguing about grouping so many role players together and seeing what sticks. (In a way, sometimes that’s how I feel I am building my rosters.) I mean look at this team: Montrezl Harrell, solid player. Corey Kispert? Solid draft pick. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope? We know who he is and what he can do. (Ahem, be solid with his “three” and “D” skills.) Aaron Holiday, yeah, he’s alright. I guess I would say he’s, you know, solid. Rui, young and solid (and getting better). Even Daniel Gafford is pretty solid if he gets minutes. So you get the trend, the team is alright. Nothing crazy good, nothing crazy bad, just simply a mish-mash of (sorry) solidness.So yeah, what can you say about the Washington Wizards that hasn’t already been said about the Houston Texans? After managing an eight seed with just Bradley Beal, Russell Westbrook and whatever bodies ran next to them every night, the Wizards responded with a plethora of moves… that actually might not change the dynamic as much as the front office thinks. Then again, they are there and I am here, so be sure to take that grain of salt. And I guess salt something with it, not sure how to end that idiom.

I would add that I do really like Kyle Kuzma on this team, he has a bit of free reign in this system with room to grow and definitely something to prove. Spencer Dinwiddie could fall into that similar category as well. Thomas Bryant also is a bit underrated for my taste, a good player who is coming off an injury. And of course, we know what Dāvis Bertāns can do as a shooter. Though I may have only mentioned him so I could put in some cool accent marks to this post. Look at all that punctuation!

But beyond the new additions, ultimately the only other factor in determining how this season looks for the Wizards and its players is essentially Bradley Beal. And this season, more so than others, offers him the chance to be “the guy”. I mean, not the guy who won’t get vaccinated because he’s an idiot, but the prototypical basketball “guy”. Known as “the dude” in my particular circles. But he’s supposed to be the star, the creator, the trend-setter, the dictator, you get the point. He’s gotta be the Kim Jong-un of Capital Center to get geopolitical. And I guess that means he has to be in the top-20 overall discussion. While it’s easy to say he’s a perennial All-Star, it’s something more to be at the top, and as Bradley Beal goes, so do the Wizards.

So this is the team. A ragtag group that doesn’t look great or terrible on paper, but still can finish anywhere from the lottery to the playoffs. Specifically,16 though, I do relish in the idea that there are so many projects and potential on this team that no matter what they do, not only will they have my interest, but they’ll certainly have my attention too.

Jay is a longtime Razzball everything who consumes an egregious amount of Makers Mark as a vehicle to gain wisdom and augment his natural glow. Living in the D.C. area, he also likes spending time visiting the local parks and feeding lettuce to any turtles he encounters, including Mitch McConnell. You can follow him on Twitter @jaywrong.