Via The Ringer
Key Players: John Wall, Bradley Beal, Dwight Howard
The Washington Wizards are the male professional basketball team of the nation's capital. The Washington Wizards are irrelevant to the nation's capital. Okay, maybe irrelevant is a little extreme for a team that draws in 17,983 fans a night, but that number still leaves them as the third most important team in their own city's market-- barely edging out the MLS' DC United(17,904). Throw in the fact that a large majority of the area's attention is directed towards more important things like politics and the Wizards find themselves being the capital's middle child.
Being the middle child has its pros and cons. On one hand, the expectations are lower because y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶e̶x̶i̶s̶t̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶r̶r̶e̶l̶e̶v̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶not much attention is placed on you; but, on the other hand, their progression is hindered by the same factor that allows their misdoings to be swept under the rug. It takes a lot for the parents to actually notice and address any dysfunction. In the case of the Wizards, it took literal guns pointed at heads for a change to take place last time, and even then the change took months to complete.
The current Wizards aren't bringing guns into locker rooms, but they're far from drama free. Which is why this article will follow a reality TV premise.
On this season of 'Keeping Up With The Wizards', producer(general manager) Ernie Grunfield added Dwight Howard to the cast. Howard has spent seasons on other NBA Entertainment series such as: "Basketball Fathers: Orlando", " Basketball Fathers: LA", "Basketball Fathers: Houston", "Basketball Fathers: Atlanta", and most recently "Basketball Fathers: Charlotte". Howard is replacing five season cast member Marcin Gortat, who fans of last season remember for his criticism of star of the show John Wall. Wall rebutted Gortat's critique of his playstyle by pointing out how that very playstyle has helped Gortat get "spoon-fed" points.
The two eventually made up in the show's reunion, but Grunfield announced Gortat wouldn't be returning for next season. Grunfield also decided to finally address the show's top-heavy casting. 'Keeping Up With The Wizards' is far from the ratings of 'Perfection: A Golden State Story', but many audience members felt that with a deeper assortment of talent behind its stars, John Wall and Bradley Beal, the show could really be something special. Following three seasons of stagnation, the producers finally made notable additions with the acquisitions of Austin Rivers and Jeff Green.
'Keeping Up With The Wizards' Highest Ratings
Via SI.com
From claims of pocket watching to explicitly stating they "dislike each other on the court", the John Wall-Bradley Beal relationship has been a constant subplot in past seasons. In one of the final episodes of last season, the two seemingly buried the hatchet as they showered each other with praise following a primetime victory over 'A 1000 Ways to Lose a Series: Toronto Edition'. If Wall and Beal can carry that new-found comradery into this season, fans of the show will notice a major improvement in the quality of the show.
However, as past seasons suggest, the star-studded Wall-Beal duo can only carry the show so far. Ultimately, the season's success will come down to those not billed as stars.
With a 44 percent conversion rate, Otto Porter is one of the most underrated three-point shooters on network television. Porter was also the only player within the network(NBA) to shoot at least 50 percent from the field while attempting at least 100 three-pointers; however, the suits of the show and fans alike want more from Otto. Executive Producer(head coach) Scott Brooks said, "we definitely need him to take more shots, especially in the fourth quarter." An increase in Porter production would mean the world to this season's ratings.
Other rating shifters come in the form of exactly what John Wall requested. Despite complaints from seemingly all of his former sets, Dwight Howard is an undeniable on-screen improvement from Marcin Gortat, posting better numbers in every major statistical category. Getting past the extra layers, Howard is the athletic big John Wall told the suits to bring in. Austin Rivers and Jeff Green have the ability to combine with Kelly Oubre Jr. and fulfill the other half of Wall's request--scoring off the bench. The Green-Rivers-Oubre.Jr outscores all of Washington's bench, excluding Oubre Jr., combined (37.7 to 30.1).
If John Wall can make use of having everything he asked for, 'Keeping Up With The Wizards' could see its highest ratings since it was 'Keeping Up With The Bullets'.
'Keeping Up With The Wizards' Lowest Ratings
Via SI.com
The danger of a person having all the tools they said was needed for success is that if success isn't generated the blame falls on one person--them. For the first time in John Wall's tenure on the show, he has everything he asked for. Anything less than an appearance to the Eastern Conference Finals Award Show will be deemed a failure in the audience's eyes.
The transfer of networks by powerhouse LeBron James only amplifies the pressure on this season's showing. With so many question marks on the cast, it's far from outlandish to expect the show to crack.
Dwight Howard has been explained as "only trying four times a year". Austin Rivers was considered a bust before becoming a relentless defender and more-than-capable scorer under his dad. Jeff Green is coming off a performance of 5.3 points per game in 24.5 minutes of play.
The tools John Wall were given fit his description but are far from the sharpest, creating substantially higher expectations with a barely higher level of talent.
Record Prediction: 52-30, 'Keeping Up With The Wizards' sees a spike in ratings.