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The Washington Wizards lost to the New York Knicks 113-110 on Sunday night. Here are five observations of the game …
1. The most interesting race that leads to the NBA is not at the top of the West nor at the bottom of the image of the playoffs of the East. That's about five places down the league as the Washington Wizards are fighting against a throng of teams for the sixth-best chance of the draw next month.
Sunday night, the wizards helped their case. Losing to the Knicks, they broke the tie with three teams – the Mavs, Pelicans and Grizzlies – to take the title with the sixth worst record. They now have more loss than these three players with one more game to play.
It could make a big difference. The sixth record of the worst would give them a 37.2% chance of the top four picks. The ninth worst record would give them a 20.2% chance on the top four.
The Wizards have lost nine of their last 11 games. They finish their season Tuesday against the Boston Celtics.
2. It was a difficult year for Devin Robinson in his second season with a two-man contract. He spent the last two months rehabilitating a hip injury and he would probably have played in a lot of NBA games if he did not.
The injury almost ended his season, but he was right just in time to play in the last few games. He played Friday night and Sunday. Against the Knicks, he played well with 10 points, two blocks and a steal.
Robinson had a good year in the G-League with an average of 19.9 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Go-Go. It seems that he has done enough to stay next year as a prospect of the Wizards. But a new CEO will present unknowns to many of the organization's players and Robinson is included in this mix.
3. Bradley Beal has a penchant for difficult falls and they are always unsettling, at least if you are not one of his brothers and accustomed to that. (Link 🙂 But it's a completely different feeling to see Beal embark on a meaningless game.
The Bradley Beal falls are even more scary when the Wizards do not compete in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/uSwU8jFt1b
– Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) April 8, 2019
The Wizards have to come out of this season with Beal in one piece. But he seems to know only one report and that is all to do.
The good news is that the wizards kept his record in check. He played only 23 minutes, about 14 less than the average of his season. It did not appear in the fourth quarter.
4. The Wizards have no second round pick before 2023 and this is not ideal. Mitchell Robinson reminded wizards Sunday night why.
Of course, most second-round choices do not count, but every year there is value and you never know when you are going to discover a gem. The Knicks have found one at Robinson and now have a cheap high potential player to go from the front.
Robinson has a chance of being really, really good. It is 7 feet 1 inch with a wingspan of 7 feet 4 inches and has an impressive instinct around the edge at both ends of the ground. He had a good night with 11 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
The Wizards will have a new general manager in the coming weeks and the addition of additional drafts should be a priority. The Wizards could either trade for a second round pick in June, or buy one. They must recover some of the choices that Ernie Grunfeld has exchanged.
5. The Wizards were without Jabari Parker and Jordan McRae due to injuries. Parker stays away due to a left knee injury and missed the last two games. McRae has a left sore at Achilles and Friday's loss.
Given that there is only one game left, and especially since both are looking for new contracts this summer, it would not be surprising if their seasons are over. The Wizards only have one more game on Tuesday and no one has a reason to take the risk.
For Parker, he has every reason to play cautiously as the same knee tore his ACL twice. And for McRae, everything about an Achilles seems worrying.
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