Biggest Needs This Offseason for the Washington Wizards – How Can They Improve for the 2021 Season?

John Wall’s impending return to the hardwood gives fans in the nation’s capital some hope. Bradley Beal is a bonafide stud and the Wiz own the 9^th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

I’m not here to say this team will be a challenger in the Eastern Conference in 2021, but there’s no doubt that strides are expected to be taken. Check out the Washington Wizards biggest needs to find out what needs to happen in order for that process to be expedited.  

Let’s just cut to the chase. The Wiz clocked in 28^th in the NBA in rebounding and dead-last in rebounding differential. Thomas Bryant flashed his potential, but Rui Hachimura is more of a “3” than a “4.” Backup big man Moritz Wagner likes to float to the perimeter, and inevitably, Washington is left without enough girth down low.

The aforementioned 9^th pick in the upcoming draft is an opportunity to fill this void, but there are a plethora of “bigs” lurking on the open market.

Who could possibly be lured to D.C.?

Mason Plumlee, Nerlens Noel, and Alex Len are realistic targets. They don’t jump off the page, but they can at least provide a boost to the second unit.

Everyone and their grandmother is clamoring for a piece of Davis Bertans.

Very accurate ? https://t.co/jNkMRk1QFm

— ArtūrsKalnītis (@ArtursKalnitis) November 5, 2020

Seriously, a laundry list of teams are going to pursue the “Latvian Laser” during free agency, so for now, I’m going to assume he bolts out of town. If that does indeed transpire, it’s vital that general manager Tommy Sheppard targets a suitable replacement.

Despite Bertans helping lead this club to the 8^th-best three-point-shooting percentage in basketball, the Wizards wound up 17^th in the NBA in three-pointers made per game.

The more the merrier.

Here’s a squad that surrendered 119.1 points/game a season ago and yielded 48.8% shooting from the field. For some perspective, both of those figures ranked 29^th out of 30 teams.

Bradley Beal’s focus is on carrying the load on offense, and I alluded to their lack of size in the post. Troy Brown Jr. has some time to evolve into a potent defender, but he’s not there yet. Nor is Hachimura, and let’s not pretend John Wall has ever been celebrated for playing stalwart defense.

Once you assess the Washington Wizards biggest needs closely, it’s clear that Scott Brooks needs to land some defensive stoppers. Even acquiring some veteran leadership would be a good place to start.

Are the Wizards more interested in a deadly shooter or a player who excels on defense? Perhaps we’ll find out on draft night as the Wizards could be deciding between Devin Vassell or Isaac Okoro.

Vassell was lights out from beyond the arc during his time in Tallahassee (41.9% as a freshman, 41.5% as a sophomore), while Okoro is already being considered an “elite” defender with loads of upside.

It’s not an easy decision, but it’d be a good problem to have.

Look for the Wiz to battle with the Hornets and the Hawks to see who can leapfrog the Magic and make a run at the Heat in the division.

As far as what Charlotte and Atlanta need to do to improve their rosters, take a look below.