21. Wizards: Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis
The Washington Wizards appear to be in basketball purgatory. They have a star in Bradley Beal but they’ve failed to build a quality playoff team around him consistently. He’s never had a stable co-star either with Russell Westbrook and Kristaps Porzingis being the two most recent with Porzingis being Beal’s current teammate.
They do have nice role players in Kyle Kuzma, Monte Morris, and Rui Hachimura being at the top of their list. If the Wizards want to have a chance for a playoff run this offseason, then Porzingis has to step up.
“Beal was paid a max contract this offseason so now he has to prove he was worth it.”
To begin his career, Porzingis was one of the most elite two-way big men in the game. Nicknamed “The Unicorn”, he was special at 7-foot-3, he was elite defensively and could stretch the floor. He’s struggled with injuries since those days but started to look like his old self when playing in limited games with the Wizards after getting traded there last season.
There’s no denying that Beal is one of the best scorers in the NBA when healthy. He’s quietly improved as a playmaker as well. However, it hasn’t translated to consistent winning. Beal was paid a max contract this offseason so now he has to prove he was worth it.