The Wizards are tied for the lead in the Southeast Conference. They have a record of 15-11, and are the biggest surprise so far in the NBA. Nobody expected this start from Washington, D.C., and even fewer people expected them to continue to win games at this rate. 

A key reason to why so few people believed in the team was due to the Wizards’ front office shipping Russell Westbrook and two second round picks to the Los Angeles Lakers, in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kantavious Caldwell-Pope, and the 22 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. Westbrook is a superstar, and he, along with Bradley Beal, was the key reason the Wizards made the playoffs as the 8 seed back in the spring. 

Of the pieces received through the Westbrook trade, Harrell has definitely produced the most for the Wizards so far. Harrell is averaging 16.6 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Harrell plays center, despite only being 6’7, and is a key defensive presence, always being very physical. Although Harrell’s stats might not look that crazy, he is shooting 66 percent from the field, which is sixth in the NBA. Harrell’s high efficiency and low turnover rate has propelled him to being the ninth best center in fantasy basketball. Harrell is on pace to nearly replicate his outstanding 2019 season with the Los Angeles Clippers, and Harrell continues to be a key presence in the paint for the Wizards. 

The other two players received in the trade were Kuzma and Caldwell-Pope. Kuzma is a young player, who has had as many star-like moments as he has moments where people wonder why he’s in the league. Kuzma is a 6’9 small forward, who averages 13 points per game, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. Kuzma played well against Dallas on November 27, when he scored 22 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, had 4 assists, and had a steal as well. Kuzma shot 50 percent from the field that game, outstanding for a forward. Caldwell-Pope isn’t as much of a known player as Kuzma or Harrell, but he has similar production. The shooting guard puts up 11 points per game, 1.5 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. Caldwell-Pope is more of a role player, and is a solid option coming off the bench. 

The 22nd overall pick that came to Washington along with the three players turned into Isaiah Jackson, a forward from Kentucky. The Wizards traded him to the Pacers, where he is putting up less than 2 points per game. 

Despite all of these smaller factors, the biggest, most glaring factor in the Wizards hot streak is the superstar guard, Bradley Beal. Beal has put the Wizards on his back since he had his semi-breakout season in 2015. Although Beal has taken a dip in his production in 2021, he is still putting up good numbers. His numbers for this season are 22 points per game, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Beal can score more than 50 points in any given game, and opposing teams often structure their defensive game plan around limiting him. In 2020, Beal had arguably the best season of his career. He averaged 31.3 points per game, second in the NBA. Only Steph Curry scored more points than Beal, and Curry only averaged .7 more points per game.

Beal is shooting his worst 3-point percentage ever, at 26.4 percent. Over his career, Beal is generally in the high 30 percent range. That dip in percentage is concerning, but once Beal gets his shot back from the arc then his points average should shoot back up to where it was last season.

Wizards fans are used to constant losing teams, with bad players and draft busts. Washington hasn’t had a 50 win season since 1977, the year that the Washington Bullets won the NBA championship. The last time the Wizards organization had a good season, they had a different name. Washington fans are excited at this newfound winning mentality, and everyone around D.C. is excited to see Washington play.