For the past few years, the Washington Wizards have been one of many teams to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. But they always seem to come up short of the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. During the 2017-2018 season, they lost to the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs, 2-4. The year prior to that they lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs, in 7 games. Now that Lebron James is gone from the East, the Eastern Conference is pretty much wide open for any of the top teams in the East. So for this article, I am going to give you three reasons why the Washington Wizards can win the East and three reasons why they can’t.
Why They Can Win The Eastern Conference
1. They Still Have John Wall and Bradley Beal
The Washington Wizards still have arguably the best backcourt duo in the NBA. These two guys are hungry for a championship and they both know that Lebron is gone so they can make it to the NBA finals without having to deal with him. John Wall is coming off a season where he only played 41 games because of injury but returned to play in the playoffs. Bradley Beal played all 82 games while averaging 22.6 ppg. Is it the year for these two? We just have to wait and see!
2. They Added Dwight Howard
Obviously, Dwight Howard isn’t the player he use to be but he is still one of the best centers in the league. He can really help this Wizards team, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Howard is coming off a season averaging 16.6 ppg and 12.5 rpg. That’s still pretty decent stats for the 32-year-old.
3. Kelly Oubre Jr. is Set To Have A Breakout Season
In my opinion, I believe Kelly Oubre Jr. is about to have a breakout season. The 22-year-old is coming off a season averaging 11.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg. That isn’t bad for a player that has only been in the NBA for 3 years. He does need to improve his shooting percentages from the field and the 3 point line. He shot 40% from the field and 34% from the 3 point line. But other than that I believe he will be a great player for the Wizards this season.
Why Can’t They Win The Eastern Conference
1. The Boston Celtics Will Have Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward Back (If they don’t get injured again)
The Boston Celtics are coming off a great season, making it to the Eastern Conference Finals without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, which was very surprising to many basketball fans. Even though they came up short in 7 games to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics had a great playoffs. If Kyrie and Hayward stay healthy for the playoffs, they could be the clear favorite to make it to the NBA Finals. But they will have a lot of competition. I believe the Wizards can give the Celtics their run for the money but, the Boston Celtics are the real deal in the East.
2. The Raptors Added One Of The Best Two Way Players In The NBA
Fans of Toronto weren’t too happy when they traded their franchise player DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard, who isn’t guaranteed to stay with them after this season. But while they have Leonard for this season, they can be a really big threat to the other Eastern Conference teams. Leonard is arguably one of the best two-way players in the game today and he is coming from a team being coached by Coach Pop, who is one of the best coaches in NBA history. We will just have to wait and see what Leonard does next offseason as a free agent, but while the Raptors have him, they are one of the top teams in the East.
3. The 76ers Have Two Emerging Superstars In Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons
Trust the process was finally trusted as the Philadelphia 76ers finally made it back to the playoffs after being one the worst teams in the NBA for years. They came off a season where they went 52-30, finishing 3rd in the Eastern Conference, but they came up short in the 2nd round playoffs losing to the Boston Celtics. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are forming one of the best duos in the NBA. Joel was an all-star averaging 22.9 ppg and 11 rpg. Ben won rookie of the year, averaging 15.8 ppg, 8 rpg, and 8 ast per game. As long as these two can stay healthy, they will be very exciting to watch again this season.
The Washington Wizards are a great team but can they really handle those 3 powerhouses of the Eastern Conference? We will just have to wait and see, as the NBA season is almost here!
RysonBasketball 