National Basketball Association

Washington Wizards: Scott Brooks Should Consider Benching the Veterans

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

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Washington Wizards added youth in the off-season, but have still been somewhat reliant on their veterans. It’s time to bench the experienced players.

Experience is supposed to be the great divider. Theoretically, players grow and develop as time goes on and earn their place in the NBA.

Over the past several years, the Washington Wizards have attempted to build their roster around a young core and players with experience. The likes of Nene, Marcin Gortat, Trevor Ariza and Paul Pierce played a significant role in showing the developing players what it takes to win.

Now, John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and Markieff Morris have been handed the keys to the team, with developing players leading the bench.

Ernie Grunfeld added Trey Burke, Tomas Satoransky, Andrew Nicholson, Danuel House, Sheldon McClellan and Daniel Ochefu to the roster this past summer – all of whom are in their early or mid 20s.

Washington opted to let go of several veterans, including Nene, Jared Dudley, Ramon Sessions and Drew Gooden, replacing them with players with more upside.

With that said, the Wizards wanted to have some experience and re-signed Marcus Thornton. Grunfeld also signed Jason Smith to a three-year deal.

Slowly, the team has given the developing talent a chance to play.

Burke, Satoransky and Nicholson, for instance, have all been a part of the team’s rotation this season. Washington has lost four of their first five games, and while the inexperience would typically be an easy target to point towards, the veterans have actually been underwhelming.

Smith, in particular, has gotten more playing time than originally expected.

More from Wiz of Awes

The 30-year-old has been Washington’s backup center during Ian Mahinmi‘s absence, who underwent knee surgery before the start of the season.

Currently, Smith is averaging a single point and has a -7.12 PER – the lowest player efficiency rating that I’ve personally seen.

He’s made 33 percent of his field goals and hasn’t been a reliable pick-and-pop option, which is the primary reason he was signed, at least in terms of offensive output.

In 14 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks – Washington’s only win so far – Smith missed all three of his shot attempts and committed five fouls.

He followed that game up with 0 points and 1 rebound in 11 minutes against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.

Thornton has been a tad more productive than Smith, but hasn’t been consistent. Defensively, in particular, Thornton has struggled to stay in front of opposing guards and has been a part of the unit that’s allowed teams to come back from double-digit deficits.

After the loss against Orlando, Bradley Beal spoke about Scott Brooks making potential changes to the lineup.

“The biggest thing we can control is our defense and that’s all about effort and wanting to play,” Beal said on Saturday. “I think coach is pretty fed up with the way we’re playing and I think he’s going to start playing guys who want to play and guys who want to show up.”

Scott Brooks has shown that he’s willing to make changes when necessary. When Burke struggled, Brooks swapped him out of the lineup for Satoransky. He’s also played a three-guard lineup, along with pairing Morris with Nicholson.

If he does decide to make changes, the veterans – specifically Smith and Thornton- will have to get pulled off the court.

McClellan and Ochefu were relatively productive during summer league and played with high energy. As rookies, it’s difficult to gauge how well they will perform when thrust onto the floor, but one thing is certain: they cannot possibly play worse than Thornton and Smith.

Washington has missed Mahinmi, but the center won’t help the team offensively – an area that Smith and Thornton were supposed to contribute. Relying on rookies isn’t ideal, but a change might have to be made if the Washington Wizards want to avoid another disastrous season.

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Basketball Association