As the NBA season reaches the All-Star Break, the Washington Wizards are trying to regain their form from a year ago, when they went 45-37 and won their first round playoff series. This season, with one game left before the All-Star Break, the Wizards are 26-24, which is four games behind the record the team at this point last year (30-20).
Though Washington has won eight out of 11 games, including seven games in a row at home, their season has been marred by inconsistency and a lack of defensive pressure, among other things. Some of these ills can be attributed to the departure of Larry Hughes, via free agency, and the trade that sent Kwame Brown to the Los Angeles Lakers for Caron Butler and others.
When Larry Hughes signed his free agent deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Wizards not only lost one-third of their offense from the 2004-05 season, they also lost their best perimeter defender. This season, the Wizards are forcing fewer turnovers per game when compared to last year’s totals (14.9 this year, 15.1 for last year). Also, the Wizards are allowing opponents to shoot 37% from behind the three-point line. These defensive shortcomings are overshadowing another brilliant season by Gilbert Arenas.
Arenas is continuing to grow as a player and into the go-to player for the Wizards. A year after averaging 25.5 points, 5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, Arenas has added to those numbers by averaging 28.6 points, 6.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals this season, allowing him to earn his second straight all-star team selection. His scoring average is fourth in the entire league behind only Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, and LeBron James. He is also attempting to pick up the defensive void with his steals, an average that is good enough for seventh in the NBA.
With Arenas putting the team on his back for much of the first half of the season, it has allowed Caron Butler to begin to settle into his role with the Wizards. After being traded from the Lakers to the Wizards on July 22, 2005, Butler struggled with his role. His minutes often varied as he learned coach Eddie Jordan’s new system. This led to sporadic production during the first month of the season. However, Caron caught on and now he is averaging a career-high 16.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game this season, including averaging 18.7 points during the current month of February.
With Butler rounding into form, the Wizards are finally starting to resemble the team that advanced to the second round of the playoffs last year. However, they still have a long way to go because there is a logjam at the top of the Eastern Conference with the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat the clear favorites. With the second half of the season left, its time to see if the Wizards are regaining their form or just teasing their fans, who expect a season comparable to last season. The Wizards have just over 30 games left to show and prove to not only their fans, but to themselves.
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