The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The NBA’s play-in tournament kicks off Tuesday and every team will need stars and role players to come up big. Here’s the secret weapon each team will count on.
Washington Wizards
At the conclusion of Sunday’s NBA games, the Eastern Conference play-in round is now officially set. The 2020-21 NBA season reached its conclusion on Sunday, with many keeping their eyes peeled on the new play-in round. While there were teams looking to avoid the mini-bracket altogether, there were others looking at it as their final
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry faces off against Washington Wizards whiz Bradley Beal in close race for NBA scoring leader. Both Curry and Beal know a thing or two about carrying teams on their backs. Curry’s insane statistics in April alone make you wonder why he’s not more frequently talked about in the MVP
Since starting the season at a miserable 17-32 mark, the Washington Wizards have won 12 of their last 14 games. The unlikely run gave the team a shot at the postseason that would’ve seemed laughable just mere weeks ago. Now, the team is on the verge of making the play-in tournament. Let’s take a look
Three teams in the Eastern Conference are expected to compete for a spot in the NBA Finals. The Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks are clearly head-and-shoulders above the next tier of teams in the East. Still, those organizations are not going to just lay down and concede defeat. Last year the Miami HEAT
It’s official: we’re entering the regular season’s endgame. Every game from here on out will have much bigger consequences, a statement even truer in 2021 than perhaps any other season thanks to the NBA’s new play-in tournament. If you’re not familiar, the play-in tournament will consist of two matchups within each conference. The seventh and
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 27: Troy Brown Jr. #6 of the Washington Wizards dribbles against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Capital One Arena on February 27, 2021 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms
With Cassius Winston’s Michigan State Spartans falling to the UCLA Bruins, he had to wear UCLA gear to satisfy the bet he made with Washington Wizards teammate Russell Westbrook. The Michigan State Spartans narrowly lost to the UCLA Bruins on Friday night, 86-80. All it means for a pair of Washington Wizards guards is that
Today’s NBA is often said to be a little too friendly amongst the players, but Reggie Miller thinks these guys are the best trash-talkers. It’s obvious to the average NBA fan that today’s game isn’t as hostile as it was when the ‘Jordan rules’ applied or when the ‘Bad Boy’ Detroit Pistons were a thing.
Upon first glance, the Washington Wizards look like an absolute train wreck. They traded away a lottery-protected 2023 first-round pick to swap out John Wall for Russell Westbrook – whose contract will haunt them through the end of 2022-23 – and they are on the verge of chasing away their 27-year-old, thirty-point per game scoring
When the 2020-21 season began, the Cleveland Cavaliers were among the hot topics in the NBA. The Cavaliers burst out of the gate with a 3-0 record and even claimed a convincing 118-94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. This hot-start was primarily due to the play of their young guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland.
Feb 28, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) is hugged by a teammate after making the winning basket late in the fourth quarter of their 111-110 win over the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports Mel Kiper also sees some Tom Brady in Mac Jones by
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images NBA players hesitant to endorse COVID vaccine by Bre’ana Singleton Howie Roseman might want to stay off Eagles Twitter after Carson Wentz trade by Josh Hill Inspired by Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards Over & Back explores the best players on the worst NBA teams. Last season, Bradley
Jan 31, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) gestures after making a three point field goal against the Brooklyn Nets in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports Michigan State vs. Iowa live stream: Betting odds, TV channel, prediction by Mike Phillips Bradley
For this edition of ICYMI for Basketball Insiders, we’re looking at the Southeast Division. This breakdown follows the recent publications of ICYMI on the Atlantic, Pacific, Central and Northwest. Starting off, this division is the only one in the NBA that has a single franchise above .500, the Atlanta Hawks. This should come as a
Role players may not have the spotlight, the insane contracts or the endorsement deals, but they are vital pieces that contribute to team success. There have been countless examples in the past, including the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers just last year. The focus for the role player is to excel in one or two
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Bradley Beal just keeps scoring. He’s already dropped a 60-piece this season, he hung 47 on the Pelicans Wednesday night and he’s averaging 41.0 per game over his
From time to time there are things that surface in the NBA landscape that requires a little debate, we call that Point – Counter Point. We have asked two our of writers to dive into the topic of NBA expansion, which for the first time since 2004 when the NBA allowed Charlotte to have a
No, there’s no teeth to Bradley Beal trade rumors yet, but NBA fans can dream. After James Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a four-team mega-deal, NBA fans wondered who would be the next start-caliber player dealt. While there’s plenty of choices, the most popular may be Washington Wizards star Bradley
NBA fans should get ready for more delayed games after the league postponed its sixth matchup of the season, this time between the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz. As expected, coronavirus is beginning to run rampant through the NBA as it pushes through its 2020-21 campaign without a bubble. It only took three weeks for
Nearly three weeks into the season, here’s a look around the NBA landscape, with ten observations ranging in impact from having a direct effect on the chase for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, teams who are exceeding or failing to meet expectations, examining the play of some of the league’s top rookies, taking note of milestone
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 08: Tacko Fall #99 of the Boston Celtics defends Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards during the first quarter at TD Garden on January 08, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
The Washington Wizards’ 1-5 start to the season has clearly been a rocky one – an early journey with several close heartbreakers and blown leads along the way. While frustrations have been mounting in D.C., Deni Avdija is seeing this stretch as a growing opportunity, one that paid off after the team’s first win against
We’re just over a week into the NBA’s 75th regular season and, already, we’ve seen some significant developments. From the new direction teams that made an offseason coaching change have taken, to the impact of some of the more critical offseason acquisitions with their new teams or even the development of the rookie class as
John Wall and Russell Westbrook were traded for each other on Wednesday night. The two are both on unfavorable contracts, making such a deal actually quite even for both the Rockets and Wizards. Westbrook still has plenty left in the tank, while Wall is coming off season-ending surgery. When healthy, however, Wall is one of
The NBA season has begun, and it’s time to overreact to the first few games of the year. In the next edition of Basketball Insiders’ inter-conference rankings, we will take a look at the Atlantic Division. In these rankings, we rank each team from worst to first based on their early performances and how we
Shooting has always been valued in professional basketball, and it’s become even more important of late in the NBA. The league average for three-point attempts per game was 34.1 in 2019-20, up from 29 just two seasons earlier and 20 back in 2012-13, according to Basketball-Reference. Well, that alone probably has a lot to do
ALERT. ALERT. ALERT. The NBA’s 2020-21 season is scheduled to begin in less than a month. If it feels like we just crowned the 2020 NBA Champions, that’s because we did. The Los Angeles Lakers secured their 17th championship on October 11, just over a month ago. Still, the new season kicks off in less
Mandatory Credit: Nick Wass/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports DK Metcalf is tired of your player comparisons by Scott Rogust Thomas Bryant wanted to fight Blake Griffin, but the Detroit Pistons star just laughed. Thursday’s NBA preseason game between the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards could hardly be considered appointment viewing, but in the third quarter of
The Washington Wizards resisted the urge to blow things up and brought in Russell Westbrook to flank Bradley Beal. Here are their five biggest questions for 2020-21. 1. Russell Westbrook + Bradley Beal = ?? WASHINGTON’S GLORIOUS RETURN TO THE POSTSEASON! Yes, the Eastern Conference continues to grow stronger but those bottom-rung playoff seeds are