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Washington Wizards Five Takeaways: Scott Brooks' Opening Night Rotation

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Washington Wizards failed to beat the Atlanta Hawks, and while most focused on the team’s new players, Scott Brooks‘ rotation was a point of interest.

The Washington Wizards kicked off their season in disappointing fashion on Thursday, losing 114-99 against the Atlanta Hawks. The Wizards kept the game close for three quarters before falling apart in the fourth as they struggled to score and the Hawks drained a barrage of 3-pointers.

John Wall showed definite rust from an offseason that included double knee surgery, shooting a woeful 3-for-15 from the field and throwing too many wayward passes, but still finished with a double-double at 12 points and 10 assists.

One of the lone bright spots was Markieff Morris, who ended the game with a team-high 22 points and hit a number of tough shots.

With so many new pieces in place, including head coach Scott Brooks, the way the roster was used was a crucial point of intrigue.

Nicholson first person off the bench

Likely forced by Markieff Morris’ two quick fouls, new signing Andrew Nicholson was the first player off the bench, checking in with 5:39 left in the first quarter.

Even though Brooks’ hand was forced by the fouls, Nicholson is likely to be the Washington Wizards’ sixth man this season.

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He had an impressive preseason, and when he was in the game, he was one of the team’s primary offensive options.

He struggled a bit with his finishing around the basket, but rebounded well and hit a three on a day when most of his teammates struggled to shoot.

In 19 minutes, he finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds on 3-of-6 shooting.

His offensive production, as well as Morris’ strong performance, led Brooks to pair the two players in a smaller lineup during the second half.

Even though this was a relatively successful debut, Nicholson should expect an uptick in production as the season progresses.

Satoransky hasn’t cracked the rotation…yet

Czech rookie Tomas Satoransky was one of the Washington Wizards’ most surprising performers during the off-season.

He impressed with his supreme athleticism and basketball IQ. He had a solid preseason, where he played point guard in Wall’s absence, and then relieved both Wall and shooting guard Bradley Beal when Wall returned.

Some expected him to be Beal’s primary backup in the regular season.

It wasn’t entirely surprising, however, when Marcus Thornton replaced Beal late in the first quarter. Thornton is an NBA veteran who has shown an ability to score the basketball in the past. He didn’t exactly impress in his short stint in Washington last season.

What was more surprising was that Thornton continued to spell Beal, both with the first unit (when Beal was in foul trouble), and the second.

Thornton took some ill-advised shots and threw up at least two that missed everything.

He missed 6 of his 8 shots in 20 minutes of play.

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Satoransky appeared only in garbage time, making his only field goal attempt to score his first NBA points.

Some were pushing for more minutes for the rookie after preseason, and if Thornton continues to struggle, Satoransky could receive that chance.

Brooks doesn’t stagger lineups

Perhaps because of foul trouble, Brooks organized his lineup in much the same way that the departed  Randy Wittman did during his tenure in the nation’s capital.

The starters checked out in two groups in the first quarter, but after that, the team widely played only with two distinct, different squads.

The starters played as one unit, the bench as the other. Given the bench’s difficulty to score, this might be something that Brooks will be looking to chance.

Both Beal and Marcin Gortat struggled to get the amount of touches that they may have wanted, so playing them alongside reserves is a good way to allow them to get shots up and get in a rhythm.  

Brooks may also look to get creative, mixing in some small-ball lineups with Morris at the five, or bigger ones once injured center Ian Mahinmi returns.

It is obviously not fair to judge Brooks off of one game, which fouls did affect, but his rotation method was disappointingly similar to that of his predecessor.

Neither Gortat nor Smith distinguish themselves

This is not a rotation point in and of itself, but nonetheless one that will raise questions about the rotation in the near future.

Gortat struggled to get touches, and when he did, he did not make the most of them. He finished with four points on 2-of-6 shooting. Although he pulled down 11 rebounds, he seemed to be dominated on the glass by his Hawks counterpart, Dwight Howard, who had 19 total rebounds, of which 7 were offensive.

Smith struggled mightily, scoring one basket and turning the ball over four times. He did nothing to indicate that he deserves the spot over Mahinmi when the latter player recovers.

More importantly, Gortat’s struggles may mean that he lose minutes to Mahinmi, who is likely the stronger defender and passer of the two, and who was much improved as a pick-and-roll dive man in Indiana last year.

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Gortat is unquestionably the better post player, but this skill set may be better suited in a lineup where other players aren’t scorers themselves.

The two centers’ play also led to Brooks teaming up Nicholson and Morris in a small-ball lineup, something that may grow more common, at least until Mahinmi returns.

Oubre will have the chance to prove himself

Many people are counting on Oubre’s second year growth to aid the Washington Wizards in improving as a team.

He played only 671 minutes last year, very few of which were of significance.

Although Otto Porter retained his starting spot and did not have a bad performance, Porter’s ceiling is more limited than that of Oubre.

The complete lack of depth at the small forward position means Oubre will get his minutes. He played 22 against the Hawks, but missed 5 of his 6 field goal attempts.

He did do better on the other side of the ball, and the fact is that he will likely receive more than 20 minutes per night. If this is the year that he breaks out, he will have adequate chances to prove it.

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