Washington Wizards Have Turned Corner After All-Star Break

John Wall won’t let the Washington Wizards miss the playoffs. He switched to a different gear after the All-Star break, and he has fittingly become a wizard with the basketball. He was using deception to attack the lane by shifting the ball behind his back in the Wizards’ win against the Utah Jazz.

The Wizards added Markieff Morris before the trade deadline, and this was just the kind of gamble Washington had to make after years of playoff disappointment. They may have turned the corner as a team. The Wizards probably should’ve beaten the Atlanta Hawks in the last postseason, but an injury to Wall’s hand kept that from happening. Morris played against the Detroit Pistons and his twin brother, Marcus Morris, on Friday night, and the forward impressed head coach Randy Wittman.

“He was good. The guy has no idea what we are doing, and that’s the hardest thing when you come out,” Wittman said to the Washington Post about Markieff, who hadn’t practiced with the team yet. “I just said to go out there and play like it’s a pickup game.”

The Wizards would miss the playoffs if the season ended today, but they are close behind the Chicago Bulls for the No. 8 overall seed. Also, Washington plays the Philadelphia 76ers twice before the month of February ends, and this should help them climb the standings a bit more. Wall will appreciate having a wing player like Morris to throw the ball to on the break, and it should be entertaining to watch the Wizards attempt clawing their way back into the playoff race. Their point guard will certainly never give up on that goal, and hopefully his teammates can rise to the occasion as well.

The Wizards have a lot of potential with a backcourt that features Wall and Bradley Beal, but they are probably out of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes after their struggles this season. It would have been fun to see Durant come home, but Washington still has time to impress the sweet-shooting forward with a deep playoff run. But they’ll have to play inspired basketball to make that happen, and Wall seems up for the challenge.