Get excited for the Wiz show, Washington. And I don't mean this. Or this.
I mean this. And this. And this.
I never thought I'd actually say this, but the Washington Wizards are well on their way to becoming one of the more exciting teams in the NBA; a team that I will actually try and watch next season. Maybe even make my way to the Verizon Center once or twice. And I don't think I'm alone with thinking this.
That's what happens when you draft as well as they have the past couple of years. Obviously some luck was involved. Winning the lottery to get John Wall in 2010. Having Jan Vesely drop to #6 in this year's draft. And, possibly most miraculously, having Chris Singleton, the best defensive player in the draft, drop to #18.
This team is going to be genuinely entertaining. Future All-Star John Wall, by himself, was already a great draw for Wizards fans. Their young center, JaVale McGee, already made an appearance in the NBA Dunk Contest, and may have been robbed. (I'm all for showmanship, but Blake Griffin didn't even jump over the highest part of that Kia. I'll repeat: that Kia.) Jan Vesely is known as the "Dunking Ninja", has claimed that "Blake Griffin is the American Jan Vesely" and made out with his girlfriend on national TV. Safe to say he isn't shy of the spotlight, or worried about high expectations.
While having an entertaining team is good fun (just ask Phoenix Suns fans from '05-'07), the best teams, the teams that eventually have the chances to win the championship, have substance to go along with that entertainment. For every high flying dunk machine (Vesely, or McGee) or freakishly athletic scoring guard (Wall), there needs to be a savvy defensive player who is perfectly content with an almost non-existent box score. Cue Chris Singleton.
You also need a bench that doesn't just protect a lead, but is capable of creating its own (Similar to the '10 Suns. Dudley, Frye, Dragic, Barbosa, Lopez. That bench was glorious.). Introducing Shelvin Mack, the guard who led his college team to back-to-back national title games, a player that I wouldn't mind leading the charge for my second unit.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not stupid enough to think that the Wizards are even remotely close to competing for a championship yet. Exciting young players with high potential does not equal a title, especially in today's NBA, where even making the Finals from the East means going through Rose's Bulls, the Heatles and Boston's Big Three (Humor me.).
What I do know is that after hitting rock bottom (which includes the always hilarious Gilbert Arenas gun story), Washington has done a miraculous job of piecing together a team that has a bright future if they can continue to make the right moves, and their young pieces develop properly. (For the sake of ESPN's Top 10, I really hope Vesely reaches his potential. If he does, him and Wall are capable of the absurd.)
Appreciate what you have Washington: a highly talented core of exciting young players with great potential, something the majority of the league can't claim. So cheer for them. Hope they reach their potential. Watch them any chance you get. But most of all enjoy it while you can.
I know I will.
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