With a mix of young stars and pro-ven veterans, the Washington Wizards have impressed through the first month of the season.
Washington, who sit second in the Eastern Conference at 11-5, had one of their most complete performances in a 107-86 win over the Miami Heat on Monday night.
After coming out of the gates strong and building a 15-point cushion at half-time, the Wizards put the game away in the fourth quarter with the bench doing much of the damage.
“Probably our best game, from start to finish,” said Washington coach Randy Wittman.
Point guard John Wall had his fingerprints all over the win as the offensive catalyst, tying a season-high with 13 assists to go with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
The 24-year-old has seen his scoring slightly drop from 19.3 points per game last season to his current mark of 18.2, but he’s been a floor general and has got his team-mates involved, averaging a career-best 9.3 assists.
“For us to be successful, he doesn’t have to score 30,” said Polish centre Marcin Gortat, who recorded his seventh double-double against Miami with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
“He’s got the ball in his hands so many times that he can go for 30 any night, but that’s not the point. He’s got to create for everybody else and he did a tremendous, tremendous job.”
Wall’s ball movement has been infectious as Washington rank fourth in the NBA in assists per game with 24.7.
They’ve also been one of the stingier defences, allowing an average of 96.0 points, good for sixth-best in the league.
That defence was on display against the Heat, who they held to 36 points in the paint and just 2-of-22 (9.1 per cent) from long range.
Last season, the Wizards finished their campaign 44-38 before falling in the second round of the playoffs. They flashed potential, but in the offseason, they bolstered the squad with acquisitions of key veterans Paul Pierce, Andre Miller, Kris Humphries and Rasual Butler.
The mix of experience and youth has gelled well so far and Washington look like they’ve taken another step forward.
“Nobody cares who gets the credit,” Pierce said. “That’s a real team right there, and that’s what you’re seeing over here with the Washington Wizards.”
