Washington Wizards Backup Bigs Outperforming a Hobbled Dwight Howard

After three straight wins against the Miami Heat, a surging Orlando Magic squad, and the bottom-feeding Cleveland Cavaliers, the Washington Wizards lost some of their mojo over the weekend.

Washington lost to a Caris LeVert-less Nets team and the merciless Blazers to drop back to 5-11.

A bizarre trend has emerged in that five-game sequence. Through the first few weeks of the season, the team’s bench dragged down a starting unit that was underperforming, but still playing teams even. Now, the starters are leaking points in a hurry, and the reserves are keeping the Wizards afloat.

Washington’s starting five has scored 105.0 points per 100 possessions and surrendered 125.2 over the last five games. The latter rating slots in a dozen ticks below Cleveland’s league-worst defense.

The main culprit? A clearly ailing Dwight Howard

Scott Brooks’ early-season attempts to modernize the Wizards defense by switching every action were futile. Howard and Ian Mahinmi are slow, and Markieff Morris is stiff-kneed out on the perimeter.

Brooks went back to basics. Wizards bigs are now playing drop coverage against screens in the middle of the floor and ICE coverage on side pick-and-rolls. Those conservative schemes offer more traditional rim protection and encourage midrange jumpers. But only the bench is executing.

Here is Dwight Howard inexplicably attempting to trap a ballhandler, which the Wizards have never done:

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And here he is not protecting the sideline at all, creating an easy driving lane for DJ Augustin:

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Howard has been abysmal defensively. And his inability to get from the perimeter back to the paint leaves the rim bare for easy putbacks, which is why Washington’s last five opponents have corralled an absurd 32 percent of their own misses with the eight-time all-star on the floor.

His offensive work this year – 18.3 points per 36 minutes on 64.8 percent true shooting – is fine, but it’s only an attractive façade for a 6’11,” 265-pound problem. Washington has been 4.9 points per 100 possessions better with Howard plopped on the bench since his debut.

The big fella is playing through obvious pain. He exited the Blazers game at halftime, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he sits out a few more games with his – umm – buttocks injury. But health-related issues are still issues. If Howard isn’t able to perform with any mobility, and if that lack of mobility compromises his defensive discipline, Washington should allow him to get healthy. Otherwise, Brooks and the medical staff are only making a bad defensive team even worse.

Because of those struggles, the Wizards backups have inherited a deficit nearly every time they enter the game. They’ve responded with aplomb. The all-bench group of Tomas Satoransky, Austin Rivers, Kelly Oubre, Jeff Green, and Ian Mahinmi has maintained the starters’ offensive output, while stifling foes to the tune of 73.7 points allowed per 100 possessions in the last five games.

Mahinmi was out of the rotation against Portland, but recently, he’s outperformed Howard in his limited minutes. Here is the Frenchman doing what a hobbled Howard seemingly cannot:

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The ICE execution runs Jordan Clarkson into a blind alley, where Mahinmi takes his lunch money. The backup has excelled at engaging ballhandlers high enough to rush their next move and deep enough to keep them from turning the corner or finding a pocket pass:

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It helps that Mahinmi’s playing against backups, sure, but good positioning is transferrable no matter who the opponent is.

Giving the seven-footer minutes isn’t the only alternative, though. Jeff Green has morphed into a legitimate small-ball five for the Wizards, allowing Brooks to field explosive five-out lineups.

The Green-at-center looks make up for their size deficit with activity and speed, which has warded off obvious small-ball sacrifices like rebounding and rim protection. When he’s played without Howard, Mahinmi, Morris or Jason Smith, opponents have actually converted just 56.7 percent of their attempts, per NBA Wowythe small-sample equivalent of having Anthony Davis contest every shot.

Green’s quickness also offers some switchability on defense, but, like I said, that’s not Washington’s strong suit. Overall, NBA Wowy numbers have the team’s small-ball lineups giving up 113.5 points every 100 possessions. Bad, but not catastrophic.

The real benefit comes on offense. Without a true big man, the Wizards have scored 123.1 points per 100 possessions, an elite mark for any lineup. It helps that Green has shot 53.7 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from deep over his last five outings.

But makes and misses aren’t the important part. With the bench, the 32-year-old has facilitated a bit from the elbow and bailed Washington out with some probably unsustainable postups.

With Wall and Beal, his shooting touch has created a genuine pick-and-pop and kickout threat that doesn’t exist with Howard on the floor. The resulting space allows the star pair to gash open defenses. Nearly 44 percent of Washington shot attempts have been either layups or dunks when the 32-year-old plays center, according to NBA Wowy, a number that would rank first in the league by a hefty margin.

Brooks can’t start Green at center, of course. Morris is still around playing passable basketball. And Howard and Mahinmi are better equipped for the early-game wrestling matches with opposing heavyweights.

But Brooks has found some lineups that work, and that feels like a minor victory in Washington’s otherwise bleak season. Mahinmi is playing excellent defense whenever he gets the chance. Green is offering more space and speed on offense when he plays without a traditional center. Together, they’ve formed an unlikely possible center rotation.

Once Howard gets back on the floor, he’ll have to prove he deserves he’s healthy enough – and effective enough – to play over his replacements.

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