2012-13 NBA Preview: Washington Wizards

By Kels Dayton
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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