The Washington Wizards are on a much needed three-game win streak after the terrible stretch of games they’ve had since Thanksgiving. Before the small win streak they are currently on, the Wizards had lost 11 of their last 12 games and were struggling to find a win. One Washington player attributes their recent success to having their effective bench players back.
Bench and role players in the NBA can mean just as much to a team as their starters do sometimes. Even the greatest players need rest and that is where quality bench players make their impact. For Washington that is Rui Hachimura and Delon Wright.
Hachimura and Wright both came back from injuries right around the same time and made a serious impact to the lineup, especially in their 127-102 win vs the Suns last night. Washington DC sports betting sites have the Wizards at (+40000) to win the Finals this season.
rise and shine fam 👀☀️ pic.twitter.com/nZJWHXTur4
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) December 29, 2022
Rui Hachimura and Delon Wright have made an impact to the lineup in their return
In their win vs the Suns last night, Hachimura tied a career-high 30 points and lead all Washington players in points. He went 11-13 from the field and 7-8 from the free-throw line. Delon Wright had three steals in 15 minutes played and was a crucial part in the Washington’s 10-2 that ended the third quarter.
Hachimura has embraced coming off the bench and can score at all three levels. He’s averaging (12.3) points per game this season. Wright has only played in seven games this season, but he’s averaging (2.6) steals per. Washington’s Kyle Kuzma had this to say after the game about the impact that Hachimura and Wright bring to the team.
““If you look at our scoring over the 10-game losing streak or whatever, we didn’t really have a bench or bench scoring,”… “Having those guys back has helped tremendously. So many nights our bench was getting outscored. Having Rui out there, he’s always looking to score. Delon, he’s controlling the game and controlling the game defensively. It helps out. It’s been great.” – Kyle Kuzma
Even star players on the team like Kuzma know they need solid bench players to be an effective team. Injuries have played a huge factor in the Wizards season thus far and the team is fighting through the adversity this season.
