There are two things most Wizards fans are not accustomed to:
- Winning.
- Having an effective offense.
For seven blissful preseason games this October, that changed and it's been hard for fans to process. Now that the preseason is complete, let's take a moment to celebrate the Wizards' success, even if it came during the "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" part of the schedule, where everything's made up and the points don't matter.
PRESEASON ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- The Wizards led the NBA in points per game. They averaged 112.3 points per game, 4.9 points higher than the second-best team in the NBA, the Houston Rockets.
- The Wizards had the highest offensive rating. Part of the reason the Wizards scored more points than anyone else is because they played at the fourth-fastest pace. But even once you take pace out of the equation, the Wizards still had the most-effective offense in the NBA. They averaged 0.5 points per 100 possessions more than the second-place Thunder.
- The Wizards led the NBA in assists per game. Washington averaged 27.1 assists per game, 1.5 more per game than Boston. They were led by John Wall and Ramon Sessions who both finished top 10 in assists per game during the preseason. Ish Smith also got in on the fun, averaging 4 assists in just 11.4 minutes of action per game.
- The Wizards had the best assist-to-turnover ratio. Even though other teams were better than the Wizards at protecting the ball, they had so many assists they still had the best ratio by a clear margin. The Wizards averaged 1.74 assists for every turnover. No other team averaged better than 1.5 assists per turnover.
- The Wizards led the NBA in fast break points. Washington averaged 21.7 points per game in transition. The Rockets finished second with 19.0 points per game.
- Seven players shot over 57 percent from the field. Toure' Murry, Jaleel Roberts, Marcin Gortat, DeJuan Blair, Otto Porter, Nene, and Bradley Beal all shot over 57 percent from the field. Sure, Murry and Roberts aren't sticking around on the final roster, but that sill means five players made it, including three starters.
- Six players made at least one-third of their three point attempts. Gary Neal, Otto Porter, Josh Harrellson, Drew Gooden, Bradley Beal, and Kris Humphries all made the mark. It very easily could have been seven if Jared Dudley had been healthy for the start of preseason.
- The Wizards shot the second-highest field goal percentage. The only team to shoot better from the field? The Oklahoma City Thunder. THE KD ARMS RACE IS ON.