The Washington Wizards are one of the surprising teams in the Eastern Conference this year. As of Jan. 20, the Wizards are sitting” in fifth seed in the east”:http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Div.html, just one seed away from having home court advantage in a playoff series.
Washington has a nice core featuring two stellar guards John Wall and Bradley Beal. These stars have been complemented with other role players like Marcin Gortat, Nene Hilarrio and Trevor Ariza.
Although part of Washington’s success is not just from its own players, but also from the poor play from the rest of the Eastern Conference.
As of Jan. 20, nine of the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference have a record below .500. Hypothetically, if the season ended on Jan. 20 the current eighth seed in the Western conference would be the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
There are multiple reasons that the Eastern Conference has struggled. A significant amount of injuries have occurred on Eastern Conference teams that were considered contenders at the start of the season. Derrick Rose of the Bulls, Brook Lopez and Deron Williams of the Nets, are a few of the Eastern Conference All-Stars that have missed significant time due to injuries.
Additionally, some of the star powered teams entering the season have failed to mesh on the court. The best example is the Brooklyn Nets, who assembled five all-star players totaling over $80 million in payroll who traded for superstars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Despite the talent the Nets are just 17-22 as of Jan 15.
Even though the Wizards are not expected to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, the success this season represents a core which can be built on for future success.
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