The Washington Wizards are on a much-needed three-game winning streak after their worst stretch of games since Thanksgiving. Before their current little streak, the Wizards were struggling to win, losing 11 of their last 12 games. One Washington player attributed their recent success to getting their effective bench players back.
Bench and role players can sometimes mean as much to a team as their starters do. Even the greatest players need rest and that’s where quality bench players make an impact. For Washington, that’s Rui Hachimura and Delon Wright.
Hachimura and Wright both returned from injury at the same time and made a big impact in the lineup, especially in last night’s 127-102 rout of the Suns. Washington DC sports betting sites have the Wizards at (+40000) to win the playoffs this season.
Get up fam 👀☀️ pic.twitter.com/nZJWHXTur4
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) December 29, 2022
Rui Hachimura and Delon Wright are back to make an impact in the lineup.
In last night’s game against the Suns, Hakimura tied for a career-high 30 points to lead all Washington players in scoring. He went 11-13 from the field and 7-8 from the free throw line. Delon Wright had three steals in 15 minutes and was instrumental in Washington’s 10-2 third-quarter run.
Hachimura has embraced coming off the bench and can score at all three levels. He is averaging (12.3) points per game this season. Wright has only played in seven games this season, but averaged 2.6 steals. Washington’s Kyle Kuzma talked about Hachimura and Wright’s impact on the team after the game.
“”If you look at our score in 10 games or something, we really didn’t have a bench or a bench to score….”Having those guys back helped a lot. A lot of nights our bench was coming out. Having Ruyn out there always wanted to score. Delon took control of the game. “He’s controlling the game defensively. It helps. It’s been great.” – Kyle Kuzma
Even star players like Kuzma know they need strong bench players to be a successful team. Injuries have played a major role in the Wizards season so far and the team has struggled through adversity this season.
