The Wizards currently sit in the 13th seed of the Eastern Conference. The team captured a much-needed victory on the road in Charlotte on Wednesday night moving to 2-5 on the season. At the time of writing, they will host the Hornets in Washington for their second In-Season Tournament game. So far this season, the Wizards have been mercurial to the point of frustration. With performance oscillating between “Oh, that’s a play-in team” to “I see why they’ll have the #1 pick” it has been an up-and-down season. The team has clear issues that need addressing. Most clearly, the Wizards have a center problem.
The Washington Wizards Have a Center Problem
The Raw Numbers
The Wizards have already played the Celtics and Sixers. These teams have two of the most talented centers in the league, Joel Embiid and Kristaps Porzingis. The matchup with these two utterly exposed the Wizard’s interior scheme, or lack thereof.
In his return to DC, Porzingis put up 15 points. In a game where Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown did the heavy lifting, this might seem like a meager amount. However, 10 of Porzingis’s points were scored in the opening quarter and all of them in the paint. The Celtic’s new addition got whatever he wanted against a sparse Wizard’s frontcourt, contributing in large part to the opening Celtic’s run that effectively ended the contest before halftime.
Running up against the reigning league MVP is always a challenge. Especially when that league MVP is one of the most dominant paint forces of the last couple of decades. In front of his home fans, Embiid hung a 48-point double-double on the Wizards. Furthermore, he did this on 68% shooting from the field as well as a perfect 14 of 14 from the FT line. Great players have great games, but the Wizards will hope to have more answers next time they see Embiid.
The Current Roster
To start with, none of this is an indictment of the newly-promoted Daniel Gafford. Gafford has been largely effective this year. Offensively he knows his role, converting his share of looks at an 82% clip. On the defensive end, his breakthrough has arrived, posting 2.6 blocks each night. The Wizard’s TV crew, Chris Miller and Drew Gooden, have lauded Gafford for his ability to “set the tone early” for this Wizard’s team. This was most clearly seen in a 5 block first quarter against the Sixers. Coaches and fans alike will want to see Gafford limit his fouls, as he has logged more than four PFs in four of the 5 games he has played. It is in the moments where Gafford sits, for rest or due to foul trouble, that things fall apart.
On Wednesday night’s broadcast, Gooden exclaimed “The Wizard’s center right now, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, is Danilo Gallinari.” Gallo was resplendent Wednesday, providing the difference off the bench for the Wizards with 18 points. However, the 35-year-old journeyman, coming off a major injury, is not a backup center. Aside from Mike Muscala, who does not appear to have the trust of Wes Unseld Jr., this team does not have a backup center. In a conference where you are going to run up against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Embiid, Porzingis, Bam Adebayo, and more, a competent backup is a requirement. Wes Unseld Jr. and co. will need adjustments that lock down the paint more frequently. On the front office’s end, they should begin searching for roster solutions for the thin frontcourt.
On Court Adjustments
The difficulty in solving this problem for the Wizards is that it is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to make up for a sheer lack of size in the NBA. Outside of Gafford, the Wizard’s next biggest bodies are Kyle Kuzma, Deni Avdija, and Galinari, with the latter already deputizing the five. Each has roughly the same measurements, around 6’9″/10″ and 210+ pounds. While these are large human beings, they cannot regularly negate the advantage garnered by being seven feet or taller. The adjustment then would likely be an emphasis on crowding the paint. However, by throwing additional bodies at opposing centers and power forwards, the risk from the perimeter grows. Put simply, the Wizards may be stuck in a season-long battle of “heart over height.”
Front Office Solutions
While the coaching staff scrambles to address the Wizard’s Center problems, they will need help from the front office. The in-house options via the Capital City Go-Go are limited, so any additions would be external. Barring Nerlens Noel, or an improbably Dwight Howard reunion, there are not very many feasible, free agent centers. However, around the league, there are plenty of options for Michael Winger and Will Dawkins to explore.
Someone like Jericho Sims stands out as an option. Currently, out of the Knicks rotation, Sims is young and could be looking for a fresh start where he could log real minutes. Furthermore, his physical profile matches Gafford’s, and his mobile, rim-running style could pair nicely with the Wizard’s game plan. Staying in the Eastern Conference a move for James Wiseman might offer the Wizards the frontcourt reinforcements they need. With the rise of Jalen Duren and a lack of rhythm, perhaps Wiseman could be on the move again. Only a few years removed from being a top-two selection, maybe the Wizards roll the dice on unlocking Wiseman’s upside.
If nothing materializes during this season, the Wizards will likely have a chance via the draft to address this need. The NCAA season is still too young for proper evaluation of prospects. However, scouts seem to have solid beads on two big men, Alexandre Sarr and Kyle Filipowski. Either of these two would be an excellent selection for a re-tooling team like Washington. However, for Wizards fans the remaining 75-game wait could be long indeed.
