Wizards’ young trio thrives in bench roles against 76ers originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Having two of your franchise’s most recent top-10 draft picks come off the bench seems like a strange personnel strategy for a basketball team. But for the Washington Wizards, that strategy was a crucial component to what became a 121-111 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Forward Deni Avdija had won the starting small forward role to begin the season, but had since been relegated to a bench spot as veteran Anthony Gill stepped in to start. Rui Hachimura, who was arguably Washington’s best player during the preseason, also came off the bench at power forward. He’s not a Wizards’ draft pick, but backup center Daniel Gafford also gave solid minutes in place of Kristaps Porzingis.
What the Wizards’ young bench trio displayed in Philadelphia was precisely what head coach Wes Unseld Jr. needs from the youngsters in the second unit.
Avdija had arguably the toughest job of the lot as he was assigned to guard James Harden for long stretches. Avdija’s defense was about as good as you could possibly ask for, as he finished with three blocks (tied for the team lead with Kristaps Porzingis) and a remarkable +17 in 29 minutes.
In arguably his biggest play of the game, Avdija marked Harden at the top of the key with just over two minutes left and the Wizards cradling a fragile four-point lead. Harden drove into the lane and attempted a stepback jumper from 15 feet (a nearly undefendable shot, coming from him), but Avdija swiped the ball from his hands on the come-up. Philadelphia wouldn’t score another point.
Hachimura, meanwhile, was Washington’s most versatile bench presence. He played 33 minutes, which actually outpaced Kyle Kuzma, who he replaced in the rotation. Hachimura finished with a double-double on a sharpshooting night from the field with 10 points and 10 rebounds and just two personal fouls.
If Avdija and Hachimura were Washington’s most dominant players off the bench, Daniel Gafford was the most efficient. He had struggled leading up to Wednesday’s game but had easily his best performance of the young season in a much-needed road win. He shot 4-of-5 from the field for 10 points in just 11 minutes, but his most significant stat might’ve been personal fouls: he’s been plagued by getting into foul trouble throughout his career but didn’t commit one single infraction on Wednesday.
NBC Sports Washington sideline reporter Meghan McPeak made the observation after the game that Gafford is a valuable chess piece for Unseld to use in the rotation because he’s “a guy you don’t have to call plays for. He can just find his spots and pick his spots and get active on the offensive boards.”
That was the exact role he played in the victory.
Starting Anthony Gill on a team that includes Avdija, Hachimura and Will Barton might seem like a wild strategy, but it worked to perfection for Unseld and the Wizards in the win over the 76ers. To use a soccer term, those three pieces can be utilized as ‘super-subs’ for Washington that can keep the pressure on opponents while the starting five rest. We’ll see if that strategy gets employed long-term, but Wednesday’s win was a good indication it could keep working.
