Washington Wizards - Better or Worse

The Wizards have had a rough couple of years.  They've only won 45 games in the last two seasons combined.  Last year they were team turmoil with Gilbert Arenas and his gun issues.  Arenas used to be Mr. Dependable, but he has played in 47 games in the past three seasons combined.  The good news is that their season ended on a high note - that's if you count the lottery as part of the season.  They won it and the opportunity to take John Wall first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft.  Will Wall be enough to put this Washington team back into contention?  Let's take a look.

(Note: The rankings you see referenced below are fully explained in my initial NBA point guard rankings post)

Point Guard
2009 - Gilbert Arenas (#23 PG, Level 5), Shaun Livingston (#45 PG, Level 9)
2010 - John Wall (Rookie), Kirk Hinrich (#39 SG, Level 7)

Rookie phenom Wall will bring a much greater element of playmaking to Washington. Hinrich should provide a steady hand off the bench along with some leadership.

Photo source: enviziondotnet

Shooting Guard
2009 - Mike Miller (#23 SG, Level 5), Randy Foye (#44 SG, Level 8)
2010 - Gilbert Arenas (#23 PG, Level 5), Nick Young (#63 SG, Level 10)

Miller played respectably, but the Wizards are hoping that the return of Arenas will improve the production at the two guard.  They also need Young to take a jump in his fourth year.

Small Forward
2009 - Josh Howard (#39 SF, Level 9), Al Thornton (#49 SF, Level 10)
2010 - Al Thornton (#49 SF, Level 10), Josh Howard (#39 SF, Level 9)

This position was unsettled throughout the '09-'10 season with many players getting some run, including those who were traded and those that arrived via trade.  Howard is going to miss the beginning of the season with a knee injury so Thornton will get a majority of the playing time.

Power Forward
2009 - Andray Blatche (#27 PF, Level 6), James Singleton (#60 PF, Level 10)
2010 - Andray Blatche (#27 PF, Level 6), Yi Jianlian (#61 PF, below level)

Blatche's game matured a great deal last year.  To be competitive the Wizards need him to take an even bigger step forward this season.  Yi has not lived up to the billing that was given to him when he came in the league but he did play well in the World Championships this summer.

Center
2009 - JaVale McGee (#29 C, Level 6), Fabricio Oberto (#56, below level)
2010 -  JaVale McGee (#29 C, Level 6), Hilton Armstrong (did not qualify)

McGee was somewhat of a revelation during the Team USA World Championship tryouts.  He nearly forced his way onto the roster with his athletic play.  He needs to continue to grow in his third year in the Association and should get a boost from playing with Wall - specifically I'm thinking alley-oop.

Overall
With Wall, Blatche and McGee on board as the future of the franchise Washington looks to now be moving in the right direction.  They need to resist any urge to win now and focus on playing those three big minutes to help them develop.  It will be very interesting to see what happens with Arenas this season.  Will he be okay with his new role?  Will Washington look to trade him? 

The Wizards finished with a 26-56 record last season.  Predicting what they will do this year is a bit of a guessing game based on the impact of Wall and development of a few others.  I've got them picking up two wins at point guard and one win each at shooting guard, power forward and center while staying even at small forward.

In the final verdict the Wizards are BETTER.  As they are currently constructed I predict their record will be 31-51.

Do you think the Wizards will be better or worse in the 2010-2011 season?  Let me know by posting a comment below.