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It’s safe to say the Washington Wizards have been up and down the past five years.

It started back in 2016-2017 when the Wizards were playing great basketball which made people believe that this team could compete for years to come. They had a great backcourt in John Wall and Bradley Beal along with a strong core.

Fast forward to 2020 and the Wizards are currently in a rebuild.

The rebuild started when John Wall tore his Achilles which lead to Otto Porter Jr., Markieff Morris, and others being traded. The Wizards have failed to produce winning basketball ever since and the only bright spot this team has had has been the growth of Bradley Beal. The question now is can the Wizards actually compete with John Wall coming back next season fully healthy.

As of right now, the Wizards roster is overloaded with young talent and just a few vets. If Washington wants to compete next season they will need more ‘win-now’ players and veterans. The Wizards have no business being in Orlando right now but at least they can audition several players for roles on what they hope to be a retooled playoff-contending roster next season. They already have solid pieces in Rui Hachiumra and Davis Bertans (if he resigns).

The biggest holes this team needs to fill in the center and wing position. A few months John Wall talked about what the Wizards need to add this offseason. “With me and Brad [Beal], who is a great cornerstone, and you have Rui [Hachimura] who is a rookie that’s in there, but I feel like we definitely need a three that’s a dog, that can knock down shots and compete and create for us.”  The Wizards were horrible on defense this season and it started with a lack of rim protection. With a projected lottery pick, Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard will have to figure out how he can acquire the rim protector this team needs.

People fail to realize that the Wizards can be dark horses in the Eastern Conference next season. John Wall and Bradley Beal will be one of the best duos in the league. It will be up to Sheppard to surround the duo with the right pieces. Don’t be surprised to see the Wizards being really aggressive this offseason. They understand they need to make some big moves if they want to compete at a high level again.

Photo: EssentiallySports