Wizards haven’t hit Wall without star
Barring a meeting in the playoffs, Friday marked the last time the Toronto Raptors see the Washington Wizards this season. And this one was not like any of the teams’ previous three meetings — two of those wins by the Wizards.
All three previous meetings came with Wizards guard John Wall out of the lineup. But now the Wizards have come to grips with the fact Wall will not be back soon and have put together a rotation that can win games in the NBA. The team entered play Friday at 11-4 without the focal point of the franchise in the lineup. “They are almost a different team,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said.
“With him, he is a great balldominant player. I’m not saying ball-dominant is bad, but he is such a dynamic player with the ball. Now you are worrying about five other guys moving and cutting and the ball is passing around, so they are a different team from that standpoint. ... Now the ball is spraying around and it makes them more difficult to guard.” Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry said the ball movement Washington features is a bit deceiving. The Wizards have much more movement and cutting, giving potential passers open targets.
It has resulted in a team already one of the highest in the NBA in assists climbing those ranks further. “I’ve watched them a lot, but it’s more the body movement,” Lowry said. “They always moved the ball, but I think what it is, is that John (Wall) is so fast he gets guys easy shots so it’s usually just one-pass shots. Now they have guys making plays, breaking it down one-two with the extra hockey assist. John doesn’t need the hockey assist because he is beating everyone down the floor.”
Casey sees some of the way his own team has approached the game this season.
“Same flow, same movement,” Casey said. “A few more set plays, but still it’s the same philosophy.”