Washington Wizards
2017-18What were the Washington Wizards in 2017-18, and what needed front-office attention?
WAS 2017-18: the clearest roster problems were Rim protection. The strongest covered areas were Passing connectivity, Shooting and spacing, Creation. The main rotation-player dependency cases were Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr.. Structural basketball need, injuries, replacement lineups, and financial constraints are reported separately.
What can be trusted
Supported strengths — production, who carries it, and what money is already committed.Full reading
WAS 2017-18 Passing connectivity: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 92.6 league percentile. Bradley Beal supplied 30.0% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The team already committed substantial or redundant cap resources here.
Full reading
WAS 2017-18 Shooting and spacing: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 92.6 league percentile. Otto Porter Jr. supplied 29.1% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The team already committed substantial or redundant cap resources here.
Full reading
WAS 2017-18 Creation: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 88.9 league percentile. Bradley Beal supplied 33.1% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The team already committed substantial or redundant cap resources here.
What needs attention
The clearest roster problems the evidence supports.Full reading
WAS 2017-18 Rim protection: this was a real roster weakness; production ranked at the 22.2 league percentile. Marcin Gortat supplied 30.1% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The team already committed substantial or redundant cap resources here.
Every covered basketball function (11)
| Function | Reading | League percentile | Largest contributor | Recent availability | Salary commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation | SupportedTeam strength | 89th percentile | Bradley Beal · 33.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Defensive event creation | SupportedTeam strength | 82nd percentile | Otto Porter Jr. · 26.8% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Interior finishing | SupportedTeam strength | 89th percentile | Otto Porter Jr. · 18.8% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Passing connectivity | SupportedTeam strength | 93rd percentile | Bradley Beal · 29.9% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Point-of-attack defense proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Ian Mahinmi | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rebounding | SupportedMiddle of the league | 74th percentile | Otto Porter Jr. · 20.3% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Rim pressure | SupportedMiddle of the league | 63rd percentile | Kelly Oubre Jr. · 19.9% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Rim protection | SupportedStructural team problem | 22nd percentile | Marcin Gortat · 30.0% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Screening | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Ian Mahinmi | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Shooting and spacing | SupportedTeam strength | 93rd percentile | Otto Porter Jr. · 29.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Switch coverage proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Ian Mahinmi | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
Who the team depends on
What disappears when a player is removed — and whether an observed replacement five exists.
WAS was highly dependent on Bradley Beal. Removing him cost about 33.1% of creation production, and lineups with him performed 6.1 points per 100 possessions better than lineups without him. The best supported replacement group was [Ian Mahinmi, Jodie Meeks, Tomas Satoransky, Mike Scott, Kelly Oubre Jr.] over 275 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Ian Mahinmi · Jodie Meeks · Tomas Satoransky · Mike Scott · Kelly Oubre Jr.
shrunk net -1.946 over 275 possessions — small sample
on floor 5,799 possessions · off floor 1,940 possessions
WAS was highly dependent on Otto Porter Jr.. Removing him cost about 26.8% of event creation production, and lineups with him performed 9.3 points per 100 possessions better than lineups without him. The best supported replacement group was [Marcin Gortat, John Wall, Markieff Morris, Bradley Beal, Kelly Oubre Jr.] over 236 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Marcin Gortat · John Wall · Markieff Morris · Bradley Beal · Kelly Oubre Jr.
shrunk net 0.127 over 236 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,738 possessions · off floor 2,993 possessions
Function loss, lineup performance, and replacement-lineup evidence remain separate; none is causal player value.
What injuries change
Recent absences and the basketball needs they created or worsened.No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season.
Where money is tied up
Cap position and salary allocation — shown beside the basketball picture, never blended into it.Most salary is mapped to interior finishing; the highest-need area is rim protection. Salary-to-function mapping covers 99% of charges.
Exact figures
Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence.
What the evidence cannot answer
Deliberate abstentions — where the database refuses a conclusion rather than guessing.- Point-of-attack defense proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Screening: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Switch coverage proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
Exact transaction legality: Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence
Team-season situation report. Structural basketball quality, recent availability, player dependence, replacement lineups, and financial position remain separate. No acquisition recommendation, transaction grade, coaching grade, outcome claim, or causal value is inferred.