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2012-13 NBA Preview: Washington Wizards
- Updated: October 13, 2012
HOW THEY CAN WIN: Point guard John Wall could be on the verge of a breakout season, the kind that lifts him into the upper echelon of NBA point guards. Wall put up 16.8 points and 8 assists per game last season, but didn’t get much recognition for his play because he played on an awful team. Rookie Bradley Beal could be the perfect compliment to Wall in the backcourt, and is a candidate for all-Rookie honors. The additions of Nene and Emeka Okafor give this club some experience and toughness up front.
WHY THEY WON’T: The Wizards are a couple of pieces away from climbing out of the Eastern Conference’s basement. They’ve ridden themselves of some of the knuckleheads who made them a laughingstock, but there’s still a long way to go until the team is able to contend.
KEY PLAYERS:
G John Wall (16.8 ppg, 8 apg)
G Bradley Beal (Rookie)
F Nene (13.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg)
C Emeka Okafor (9.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg)
FINAL DESTINATION: The Wiz could be much-improved with the addition of some experience up front with Okafor and Nene, and the potential for Wall to emerge as an all-NBA performer. Still, there’s too much inexperience in the backcourt for Washington to challenge for a playoff berth.
OUR CALL: 32-50. The Wizards should be improved, but not enough to break the 50-loss plateau.
TEAM ROSTER | |||||||
NO. | NAME | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE | 2012-2013 SALARY |
1 | Trevor Ariza | F | 27 | 6-8 | 210 | UCLA | $7,258,960 |
30 | Earl Barron | F | 31 | 7-0 | 250 | Memphis | $854,389 |
3 | Bradley Beal | G | 19 | 6-3 | 207 | Florida | $4,133,280 |
35 | Trevor Booker | F | 24 | 6-8 | 240 | Clemson | $1,385,280 |
43 | Brian Cook | F | 31 | 6-9 | 250 | Illinois | $854,389 |
15 | Jordan Crawford | G | 23 | 6-4 | 195 | Xavier | $1,198,680 |
19 | Steven Gray | G | 23 | 6-5 | 205 | Gonzaga | $473,604 |
22 | Shelvin Mack | G | 22 | 6-3 | 207 | Butler | $762,195 |
20 | Cartier Martin | F | 27 | 6-7 | 220 | Kansas State | $854,389 |
42 | Nene | NA | 0 | 0-0 | 00 | ||
42 | Nenê | F | 30 | 6-11 | 250 | $13,000,000 | |
50 | Emeka Okafor | C | 30 | 6-10 | 255 | Connecticut | $13,490,000 |
7 | Jannero Pargo | NA | 32 | 6-1 | 185 | Arkansas | |
12 | A.J. Price | G | 26 | 6-2 | 185 | Connecticut | $854,389 |
32 | Shavlik Randolph | F | 28 | 6-10 | 236 | Duke | $854,389 |
13 | Kevin Seraphin | F | 22 | 6-9 | 275 | $1,797,600 | |
31 | Chris Singleton | F | 22 | 6-8 | 230 | Florida State | $1,551,840 |
24 | Jan Vesely | F | 22 | 6-11 | 240 | $3,202,920 | |
2 | John Wall | G | 22 | 6-4 | 195 | Kentucky | $5,915,880 |
9 | Martell Webster | G | 25 | 6-7 | 230 | $1,600,000 |
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