The Washington Wizards currently sit at the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference at 47-31, tied with the 3rd seeded Toronto Raptors. At just 3.5 games back of both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, the Wizards are in the middle of an intense battle for positioning atop the Eastern Conference standings, establishing themselves as a true championship contender.
During the past couple of seasons, the Wizards have flirted with championship contending status, reaching the conference semifinals in both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. With John Wall and Bradley Beal as their one-two punch in the backcourt, the Wizards have rightfully entered the conversation as a true contender in the Eastern Conference.
What's been lacking during the past couple of seasons is merely experience and development. While the Wizards had been playing really good basketball, they have needed more seasoning in order to bloom into a true championship contender. This season, the Wizards have continued to make strides towards their goal of being a championship contender and it has largely been due to the supporting cast that they have put around Wall and Beal.
During the Wizards' rise to prominence, Marcin Gortat has been a rock solid post presence, averaging 10.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this season. While not being the flashiest player in the world, Gortat produces consistently and brings his hard hat every night. Without having a strong post presence that demands respect, the offense would not open up for John Wall and Bradley Beal like it has.
During this same stretch of time, Otto Porter, Jr. has slowly but steadily gotten better. After looking like a bust during his rookie season, Porter is now averaging 13.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game on 51.8% shooting from the field, 43.8% shooting from three-point range, and 82.5% shooting from the foul line in his fourth NBA season. The emergence of Porter has been huge since the Wizards really had high hopes for him to become a cornerstone player of their franchise. Porter gives the Wizards a versatile wing that can attack the basket and do damage on the perimeter. He compliments Wall and Beal really well and allows them to be much more effective.Without his progress, the Wizards would not have the upward trajectory that they have.
As far as this season is concerned, the Wizards made a really good trade to bring in Bojan Bogdanovic from the Brooklyn Nets. Bogdanovic has given the Wizards another quality wing to work with, averaging 13.5 points per game during his 22 games with the Wizards on 47.3% shooting from the field, 39.6% shooting from three-point range, and 92.9% shooting from the foul line.
By putting two quality wings around John Wall and Bradley Beal in addition to the steady of presence of Marcin Gortat, the Wizards truly appear to have a recipe for long-term success. I still think the Cavaliers or Celtics come out of the Eastern Conference, but the Wizards are right there knocking on the door. They have the talent, the versatility, and the depth to do a lot of damage in the playoffs and give both of those teams a run for their money.
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