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Wizards experiencing depth issues as injuries pile up

By Chase Hughes

Wizards experiencing depth issues as injuries pile up originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Wizards’ loss to the Miami Heat on Friday night was one of those games where if just one more player found a rhythm offensively, Washington likely would have pulled out the win.

They had Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma each score 28 points, plus Kristaps Porzingis add 18, albeit on not his best shooting night (7-for-18). But no one else on the roster reached double-figures, as their offense stalled to score 48 points in the second half after a hot start in which they scored 38 points in the first quarter alone.

In the starting lineup, Corey Kispert shot 2-for-9, including 1-for-7 from three, while Deni Avdija was 2-for-8 and 0-for-4 from long range. The bench amassed only 20 points collectively with Will Barton going 1-for-8, including 1-for-5 from deep.

Give the Heat credit for making the proper adjustments to neutralize the Wizards’ offense after their first-quarter barrage. But the top-heavy box score for the Wizards illustrated well their lack of depth at the moment.

Injuries are a big reason for that. With Monte Morris (ankle) and Delon Wright (hamstring) missing for Friday’s game, the Wizards were without each of their top-two point guards. Beal had to start at the point, which he can do but the Wizards prefer him at the two.

Rui Hachimura (ankle) was also not available, leaving the Wizards without their top bench scorer. And 10th overall pick Johnny Davis (groin) was down as well, as he deals with another obstacle as a rookie.

All those injuries left head coach Wes Unseld Jr. with few options he could trust for Friday’s game. Only nine Wizards players saw the floor in Miami and only six of them played more than 17 minutes. Daniel Gafford played only eight minutes, while Anthony Gill played 13 and Barton played 16.

Unseld Jr. additionally handed out four DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision); Taj Gibson, Isaiah Todd, Vernon Carey Jr. and Devon Dotson. Gibson is the one guy most likely to get the nod as the other three would usually be playing in the G-League if the Wizards weren’t so banged up. Their even being available is in itself a sign of the times.

While Jordan Goodwin made some plays and Gafford had some loud dunks, overall the Wizards’ bench was not a strength in their loss to the Heat. You could argue that has been a trend so far this season.

While injuries offer key context, those who have been healthy and available have not collectively reached their potential. Barton has really struggled compared to his career norms, this year averaging just 8.2 points on 37.9% shooting from the field and 34.8% from three. He has a +/- for the season at -4.9, regularly representing a weak link in that category.

Barton is part of the only three-man Wizards trio among the 14 who have logged the most minutes with a negative point differential per 100 possessions. Barton, Hachimura and Gafford are a -8.5 and they have been the core of the Wizards’ bench this season.

The overall numbers aren’t great, either. The Wizards’ second unit is 20th in net rating (-1.2) and 26th in +/- (-3.3). The main problem is their offensive efficiency, as they are 25th in offensive rating (108.6) compared to ninth in defensive rating (109.8).

Reports out of Miami suggest Morris, Hachimura and Davis were close to playing on Friday night before the Wizards’ training staff thought otherwise. Taking that as an indication they are close, perhaps the Wizards will be welcoming all three of them back in the coming days. Morris and Hachimura could be significant factors, as Morris helps stabilize their depleted point guard rotation and Hachimura is generally good for 10-plus points per game off the bench.

Wright is still weeks away due to a hamstring strain and his loss has been a tough one for the Wizards. He is their best guard defender and brings a lot of value due to his versatility to play both positions in the backcourt.

The Wizards, though, have managed alright without him, especially ever since they found out they had something in Goodwin. It’s not one player whose absence has diminished their depth. It’s just a matter of injuries piling up and those remaining struggling to find their shooting stroke.

On Friday night, it was just a little too much to overcome.

Ian Mahinmi on his involvement with NBA Africa, time with Wizards

By Chase Hughes
Ian Mahinmi on NBA Africa, his time with Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonFew NBA careers have ended under more unusual circumstances than Ian Mahinmi's. His last game was on Feb. 2020 and weeks later the entire league shut down due to the coronavirus. He did not play in the NBA's playoff bubble that summer. When he laced them up for his last professional game, there wasn't an inkling it would be his ride off into the sunset.After the Wizards' time in the bubble came to a close, as did the four-year contract he signed to join them in free agency in 2016, it left him at a crossroads with a 12-year NBA career in the books and his whole life ahead of him.It was shortly thereafter that Mahinmi was approached with an investment opportunity in NBA Africa. Mahinmi joined as a minority owner, attaching his name to a group that includes strategic partners and investors like former President Barack Obama, actor Forest Whitaker and former NBA players Dikembe Mutombo, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng.Mahinmi, who has roots in the West African country of Benin, has since been directly involved in the sport's expansion across the continent. That includes an appearance at the tip-off of the Basketball Africa League's (BAL) third season this week in Senegal."This is definitely, for me, the next chapter. I feel like everything I've done has led me to this," Mahinmi told NBC Sports Washington during a phone conversation from Dakar.The BAL features 12 teams from 12 different countries split between two conferences, the Nile and Sahara. The teams include players with G-League and Division 1 college basketball experience. They play 38 games over three months in Dakar (Senegal), Cairo (Egypt) and Kigali (Rwanda).The games are available to watch in all 54 African countries and 214 countries in total across the world. There are also 45 games from this NBA season being broadcast in primetime throughout the continent on various platforms.NBA Africa, which is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa and has additional offices in Senegal, Nigeria and Egypt, also has other initiatives to drive interest in the sport among African youth. Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. participated in a Basketball Without Borders camp in Egypt last summer."At the grassroot level, the game is popular now. The game is being played," Mahinmi said. "And obviously, as you know, basketball is not only the game. It's the whole lifestyle. The game goes with the music, the music goes with the swag, the clothes, the shoes, the sneakers."Mahinmi, who grew up in France, believes the full potential of basketball in Africa has barely been realized. That is despite multiple Hall of Famers hailing from the continent including Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon. Joel Embiid, who is from Cameroon, is a favorite to win this year's NBA MVP award.Soccer remains the No. 1 sport across Africa, but Mahinmi believes basketball is well on its way to the mainstream."It's been like a whole ecosystem awakening. For me to be a part of that, it's just a matter of time. It's just a matter of time," he said. "This BAL league has changed the whole landscape of how basketball is viewed on the basketball continent."Mahinmi has drawn a sense of gratitude from his involvement with NBA Africa, as he continues to transition away from his professional basketball career. It's a revitalizing new venture for him after an admittedly disappointing tenure in Washington.Mahinmi's four-year, $64 million deal did not work out for the Wizards. He appeared in only 180 games and struggled to provide the impact they signed him for.Mahinmi points to injuries as a major reason for his performance and suggests they were worse than initially reported."My time with the Wizards was very challenging... My first steps as a Wizard, I injured myself. I injured myself in training camp and this was like such a tough start. I felt like from that injury, it was like a ripple effect," he said."That year we had such a good team. I believe we had aspirations of going far. I hurt myself, took a while to come back, then came back and I hurt myself again. I obviously wasn't healed all the way, trying to come back quickly for the playoffs. I hurt myself again, the same injury. I tore my meniscus twice in my first year. We don't talk about it a lot, but that trauma of tearing my meniscus twice took me a while to get back to myself. I didn't feel comfortable until maybe a year-and-a-half after. But a year-and-a-half after, a lot had changed in the Wizards organization. It was tough, it was tough for me. I felt like I gave it my all, but it was just like physically I wasn't at my best."Mahinmi said the Wizards not reaching their potential during those years remains a "regret," though he is happy he was able to play better during the 2019-20 season and end his career on a personal high note.Mahinmi is now out of the NBA, but still in basketball. And with NBA Africa's initiatives, he has a chance to impact the game for many years to come.
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